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Show GUARDING Ml DEVELOPING HIT-I0NALJ0RESTS HIT-I0NALJ0RESTS Dy Roy Booth That part of tho timbered nren of this country which Is Included In the natlonnl forest reserve, Is patrolled patrol-led and watched over by rangers In tho service of tho Federal govorn ment. It has been tho work accomplished accom-plished by theso men In establishing a means of flro prevention nnd control, con-trol, that has had much to do in bringing them to public notice in relent re-lent years. It Is not on y tho con servatlon, however, but also tho development de-velopment of these domnlns, with which tho ranger l charged. Much of his lifo 1b spent out of doors in comparative solltudo, building build-ing trnllB, roads, and bridges, mi'i doing other pioneer work. Through ! somo of tho mountainous portions of ' ' California, for Instance, hundreds of miles of telophono lines have either been constructed directly by or under un-der tho supervision of theso men. Tho attention which is given to tho trees covering tho thousands of acres of territory in tho national reserves, Is one of the Important functions performed per-formed by tho rnngers and a thing that few, perhaps, appreciate. A constant con-stant lookout Is kept for bark beetles and other damaging Insects, which, I If lff.t undliturbd, might In a short I time do irreparable injury to a forest. for-est. Trees which should be removed remov-ed are marked for cutting, while Uioso which nro needed for seed and Hhadn ournoaes. or for tho protection of a watershed, aro preserved. All ot this requires somowhat of an under standing of tho habits of tho various trcos and tho conditions necessary for their thrift. Much ot tho live stock raised in tho West today is grazed on lands coming within tho forest reservations. reserva-tions. It Is tho ranger who superintends superin-tends this pasturing and sees to It that tho ranges nro nolthor over nor undorgrazed. In order to safeguard against either of theso conditions, familiarity with tho forago valuo of grasses and shrubs, as well as an ability to estimate their probable abundance, Is required. Most of the national forests aro divided Into districts, dis-tricts, somo of which comprlso as much ns 500,000 acres. Supervision over this territory is placed In tho hands of a chlof ranger wno direct? tho work dono by his scores of ns slstnnts, and takes charge of tho business transacted. A largo part of tho rovennuo accruing from the lands comes from tho Balo of timber, nnd froiii charges for privileges, such us grnzlng nnd tho uso of ground for resorts and summer homes. When trees are cut by a purchaser tlio timber tim-ber Is scaled by tho range's, and each log recorded by numbers and volume. After It Is removed tho In-llammablo In-llammablo litter Is burned, during n period when tho woods nro wet or undor snow, as a precautionary men-suro men-suro against Hres. For tho most part tho rangers nro comfortably housed in cabinB built by themselves somo place In tho hills. Popular Mo chanlci. . |