“Of course—I mean, O Chief! Of course, as it may clear off by morning and then we can be out-doors. We won’t care to sit hearing lectures or reading them to others when the calls of Nature entice us,” added Jane.
“Ha! it seemeth that Jane groweth poetical!” teased Zan.
“O Chief! Who wouldn’t feel that way with the music of the floods echoing on this tin roof?” retorted Jane.
Another laugh at Zan’s expense put everyone in a merry mood, but Miss Miller meant business and not frivolity, so she asked the girls if the papers were all ready to read.
Most of the members signified that the papers were on hand to read, so the Chief called upon Hilda, as she was the first one at her right.
“My query was to find some interesting forestry news. I sought and finally found what I wanted in a weekly periodical called ‘The Sentinel’ and published at Boston. I learned that the forest fires of 1916 caused a loss of more than $9,000,000.—six times as much as has been spent in forest protection work. And what is so lamentable is that these fires could all have been prevented—they were the results of rank carelessness.
“In British Columbia, on account of the forest efficiency service, the number of fires last year were only half the number of those of the preceding year.
“The tree seedlings and uncut timber are usually destroyed or greatly damaged by these forest fires. A most important part of forest work is to dispose of the lumbering slash which makes a very hot fire when once started. This slash must be collected and disposed of as soon as possible after the lumber operations are finished. Lumber companies are urged to cooperate with the forest service in the protection of our valuable timber tracts.
“Last year, about 40,000 forest fires occurred in the United States and burned over 5,900,000 acres, causing irretrievable losses.
“The forest products from Finland constitute 70% of its total exports, and the income from this branch of trade amounts to about $96,500,000. annually.