Protection from fire is no less important than protection from
wasteful lumbering. Forest fires are very common in this country and
cause incalculable destruction to life and property; see Fig. 132.
From ten to twelve million acres of forest-land are burnt over
annually and the timber destroyed is estimated at fifty millions of
dollars. The history of Forestry abounds in tales of destructive
fires, where thousands of persons have been killed or left
destitute, whole towns wiped out, and millions of dollars in
property destroyed. In most cases, these uncontrollable fires
started from small conflagrations that could readily, with proper
fire-patrol, have been put out.

There are various ways of fighting fires, depending on the character
of the fire,--whether it is a surface fire, burning along the
surface layer of dry leaves and small ground vegetation, a ground
fire, burning below the surface, through the layer of soil and
vegetable matter that generally lines the forest floor, or a top
fire, burning high up in the trees.

When the fire runs along the surface only, the injury extends to the
butts of the trees and to the young seedlings. Such fires can be put
out by throwing dirt or sand over the fire, by beating it, and,
sometimes, by merely raking the leaves away.

Ground fires destroy the vegetable mold which the trees need for
their sustenance. They progress slowly and kill or weaken the roots
of the trees.

[Illustration: FIG. 133.--A Top Fire near Bear Canyon, Arizona.]