Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-04-01
LAW TO
BE CARRIED OUT
ARRANGEMENTS MADE TO EN-
FORCE PROVISIONS OF NEW
STATUTE
Federal, State and Private Agencies
to Cooperate and Concentrate on
Carrying Out New Measure Relas-
ing TO Fire

"
Provision for the compulsory safe
guarding of timber in Montana il con-
tanned in house bill No. $50. passed by
the last legislature, and which was the
subject of discussion at n meeting of
state, federal and private association for
est officials at Missoula recently.
Owners Of private timber must clean up
the slashings on their land and must stamp
out any fires which exist on their property,
the law provides. If the owners take no
action the state or federal forest service or
forest protective associations recognized by
the state forester may combat the fires and
send a demand for payment 10 the owners.
In case the bill is not paid within 80 days
of the making of the demand, the debt be-
comes one collectable in the courts. In the
case of the state forester, he Is directed to
present the papers concerning the case to
the attorney general for legal action.
Addition of one month to the closed sea-
son on brush burning operations Is one OF
the items contained in the bill. Previously
the season extended from June l to Sep
TENDER. The season now starts May i.
The section relating to burnings carried on
in land clearing also discontinues the er-
emptions granted In cases where the clear
ing Is being done for agricultural purposes.
A time must be set for allowing the slash
ings and brush to burn, and every possible
precaution must be taken for preventing it's
spreading. Failure to do so is TO be pun
iShable by a fine of from so TO $500 or NJ
~prisonment in a county jail for 10 TO 30
days, or both.
iermits must be obtained for burning
waste wood on any land in the forest areas.
In case Of an emergency, the governor may
revoke any permits in any locality upon
the advice of the state forester.
Section > of the law states that during
the closed season any uncontrolled or
spreading fire is declared to he a public
nuisance. The person, firm or corporation
owning the land on which the fires exist
are declared responsible, and if they take
"a. rt.Yr . - an.,trn1 than fha cfafa fa1araI
or association ~fre-hghting organizations
may combat the flames and procure repay
ment for the expenditure from the owners.
If owners fail to remove slashings after
the state forester has notified them to do
so, the forester may himself see to the re-
moval Of the slashings, the work to be paid
for by the owners. The collection from
the owners may not he more than 10 cent?
per thousand board feet.
Cooperation in carrying out OF the pro-
| visions of the bill was arranged for at the
meeting of the various forest organizations.
The federal forest service Will enforce the
bill's provisions on private lands within ma
tional forest areas, the Northern Montana
Forest Protective association will handle
the enforcement on private lands near or
adjoining timberlands included In the as
sociation's listed areas, and the state for
~ester's organizations will look after certain
other localities.
Private protective associations are en-
abled to enter into the work of enforcing
the law through the section enaDlnS lho
: state board of land commissioners to list
any of the states forest lands with any
qualified agency engaged in patroling pri-
yate timber lands and in preventing and
controlling forest fires. The agencies so
recognized are authorized to engage in the
work of preventing the spread of fires from
timber owned by private concerns which
make no effort to do so.
Many private owners of timber who here
tofore have received the protection Of the
various fire-6ghting agencies without con-
tributing to the support of such agencies
will be compelled to make restitution In
some form or other for the protection af-
forded, according to a. f.. Boorman OF
Kalispell, who attended the meeting of the
various forest organizations at Missoula.
The Northern Montana Forest Protective
association. Of which he is secretary and
fire marshal, and the federal forest service
have protected various private tracts in or
der to protect the timber for which they
were responsible. The owners often refused
to contribute toward payment of the ex-
pense involved in protecting their own
lands, and in the case of the association
the timber owners belonging to the or
ganization were compelled to bear the bur
den so incurred. House bill No. $50 will
rectify this injustice, Mr.. Boorman says