Though today few large areas of bush are burnt in a single year, each summer sees the forest remnants attacked by fire. There is, however, a fear that as new roads are pushed into hitherto inaccessible districts, the danger of fire will increase. In the United States it has been found that ninety per cent of the forest fires are man-caused, the worst offenders being campers and smokers. In Victoria and New South Wales the recent bush-fires, which caused incalculable damage and took such a heavy toll of human lives, have been attri­buted to the criminal carelessness of irresponsible people. Cigarette butts tossed thoughtlessly into dry grass, picnic fires left smouldering, can cause such disasters, in spite of the vigilance of the forest rangers. It has been suggested that drastic legisla­tion is needed to punish such offenders. While the fear of the law might be an effective deterrent, surely New Zealanders are public-spirited enough to realise the need for preserving for future generations the forest which still remains.

A Column of smoke from a bush fire near Raetihi. in 1918 a disastrous fire ravaged the surrounding country and the township itself.

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Burning bush in Taranaki in 1857, from the original water colour by William Strutt.

Carelessness with fire may cause valuable bush to be distroyed.

An  impression  of devastation cause loss of  light  bush, fern,  and  grass  covering] resulted in slips and floods