Petersham High School - Hilltop Yearbook (Petersham, MA)

Page 19 text:

TH .E HILLTOP FIRE PI4..EVE.N 'HON IN THE. FOIQES What would the town, the state, the country, or even the world do without trees? Why, life would be practically impossible without them, for they furnish the lumber for the thousands of homes. The wood from these trees provides many of these homes with heat, as even coal is formed from trees. Trees are the home for the wild animals and serve as a colorful background for all the universe. Life would be desolate without trees. A new bill has been brought up before the state legislature for radio equipment to be used in combating forest fires. This, undoubtedly, is a good plan, because it will make the fighting of forest fires easier. Already fire towers, air- planes, and numerous other aids have been added to the fighting of this deadly menace to the forests. All these aids have been bought at great expense to the town, county, and federal governments. Forest rangers, some on foot and some on horse- back, scout through the forests frequently to look for smoldering leaves or fires which have been carelessly left by campers. There are hundreds of forest fires annually which destroy acres of heavily wooded areas. Just the sight of a charred woodlot is a grim reminder of the loss, which runs into thousands of dollars. Sometimes nfirebugsn set disastrous fires for no reason at all. It seems that people would realize all the benefits of and the actual necessity for trees, but no. They say, Wwe don't start fires. Why, e and inconsiderately drop matches or cigarette ' wherever they may be, in the forest or on the e 'r ll Z 'I 'A f' are not careless.n Yet these people unconscio slyg t's 1.1 I5 VF if . I t w E illa D .?, li g. ' .,'x ' -- 5 . 'T' '. f - L ax 'ii Q --2 wit? 41, gn. 1 QA F N ,its-,ZQQK 2155.12-Z! 1 W Wil w nl N f im-.. A., . Iraq' A xiii' x Q 25331: :I-151 X Lf 1 ,,. ', ht W -J I ..l'f f.. , ,L ..1 It would take very little more effort to snuf , X-l.ff'! the match than to let it lie threateningly. CX 2 ,Q