File:American forestry (1910-1923) (17521864944).jpg

English:
Removing turf and digging hole; this is the first operation in the planting of the wastelands of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. The planting crew follows with the seedlings and the operation is quickly completed (eastern Pennsylvania)

Title: American forestry
Identifier: americanforestry2121915amer (find matches)
Year: 1910-1923 (1910s)
Authors: American Forestry Association
Subjects: Forests and forestry
Publisher: Washington, D. C. : American Forestry Association
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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Text Appearing Before Image:
COAL COMPANY PRACTICES FORESTRY 869
Text Appearing After Image:
ki-:movinc. ttrf and digginc, hole This is the first operation in the planting of the waste lands of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. The planting crew follows with the seedlings and the operation is quickly completed. The duties of the rangers are similar to those of the State Forestry Department. During the forest fire season, they continually patrol the property, when not fighting fires In other seasons of the year they assist in cutting and cleaning fire barriers, building trails, cutting timber, etc. During the spring and fall fire seasons, the force of rangers is increased two and three fold. The rangers are equipped with fire extinguishers, hold- ing 2J^ gallons of chemical mi.xture. Connected with the extinguisher is a water-proof bag. holding 8 gallon> of water, from which the extinguisher can be recharged. We have found this device of great value, particularly in burning fire lines and back fires. The power transmission lines radiating from the Le- high Navigation Electric Company's new power plant at Hauto to the coal and cement regions, are kept clear, and thus serve as fire barriers to a good advantage. On the llroad Mountain barriers .'id to 4(( feet wide have been cut through the largest isolated tract to aid in the rapid transportation of labor to fires. Some of these barriers have been plowed, and in time will be de- veloped into roads, which can be used for transporting timber. There are spots along these barriers where the moun- tain is so rough as to prevent plowing; at such places two 8-foot parallel strips are cut, leaving 20 feet of uncut brush between the two strips. It is then an easy matter to burn the 20 foot strips each year. This method elimi- nates the cost of cutting and plowing. In nianv instances the fires cannot be extinguished by the ranges, and in such cases the Department procures laborers from the dift'erent operations of the company, or when the fire is located at too great a distance from the operations, they procure the service of persons living nearest to the scene of the fire. The Bov Scotits of America of this section recently or- ganized, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co., lending its moral support, take considerable interest in the preven- tion and extinguishing of forest fires. It has been found that half a dozen enthusiastic Boy Scouts from fourteen to eighteen years of age, can get to a forest fire and put it out before other ordinary labor arrives. Farmers and adjoining land owners cooperate with the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. in the work toward the prevention of unnecessary losses due to fires. The following table, showing a comparison of fires during 1914, the first year of the department's work, with that of the year preceding it, shows a marked im- provement in the losses, notwithstanding the fact that the dry weather conditions during the forest fire seasons in the year 1914 increased the number of fires 50 per cent. 1914 1913 Change Number of fires 102 r,8 +34 Area burned, acres... 1420 15000 —13580 Cost of extinguishing $882.71 $1912.70 —$1029.90 Attention is called to the fact that while the number of

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