Here are two films about the management of forests. The first, “Forest Ranger” is a color, PSA-style film from 1953 that touches on the important role of the forest ranger for preserving and keeping the forest safe as well as the dangers and potential consequences of man-made forest fires. Produced by Viking Pictures Corporation on behalf of Encyclopedia Britannica Films, this color film was made in collaboration with Gordon D. Marckworth of the University of Washington and opens with the story of park ranger Ned Miller. The film opens as Ned goes about surveying the national forest land before he is called to supervise the response to a forest fire caused by an ignorant citizen’s littering of their cigarette butt. The second half of this film features an animated and live-action mini film which drives home the consequences of greed and ignorance when it comes to the forest. The second film, title unknown, was produced by the Conservation Foundation.
Opening credits (0:08). Farm building hidden amid tall evergreen trees (0:42). Ranger Miller enters home to wife pulling out roast from oven (0:52). Man rides on horseback through tall grass (1:23). Ranger Miller rides in radio-equipped pickup on desolate forest road to dam (1:27). Ranger Miller meets with superintendent of dam, inspects reservoir (1:53). Cows graze in tall grass (2:05). Ranger Miller meets with cattle farmer who is on horseback (2:14). Ranger’s pickup barrels along rocky mud road (2:42). Ranger Miller walks through forest and marks trees (3:08). Ranger Miller directs loggers to the trees that should be chopped down (3:37). Family sits down to another shared meal at home (4:13). Backpacker litters cigarette butt in forest without putting it out (4:28). Close-up of cigarette butt (4:45). Ranger Miller files papers in office while cigarette starts to smoke and cause forest fire (4:47). Lookout uses Osborne Fire Finder to track the fire and alerts colleagues (5:25). Bright orange flames consume trees (5:40). Ranger Miller uses map to pinpoint the fire (6:08). View of evergreen lined mountains from lookout point (6:19). Pinpoint fire on map at Eagle’s Point (6:54). Smokey haze fills the forest, trees becoming charred (7:05). Firemen at McCall Station race towards firehouse (7:12). Camera pans fire consuming forest (7:19). Firemen stand outside firehouse and put on uniforms, pack gear into packs (7:32). Firemen pile into pickup truck (8:04). Firemen inside aerial firefighting aircraft (8:16). View of smoke from the airplane (8:21). Firemen parachute out of plane onto mountainside (8:35). Lit embers in fallen log, firemen try to contain fire at forest edge (9:07). Ranger Miller sits in pickup and radios report back to colleagues on situation update (9:20). Fireman sets up water hose in nearby creak, pressurized water shot at smoking area (9:56). Close-up of fireman’s face as he wipes soot from around his eyes (10:23). Ranger Miller and his chief survey the damage of the forest fire (10:37). Close-up of document being typed via typewriter, message reads: The Conservation Foundation Memorandum (10:51).
Produced by the Conservation Foundation, the cartoon “This is A Story Told With Pictures” was probably made by the UPA Studios. It begins with a carpenter cuts through plywood at building site of home (11:12). Young boy rides flying plywood around forest (11:31). Live action: camera pans height of tall tree (11:48). Wildlife: birds, bears, deer (11:54). Aerial view of lush green forest (12:16). Loggers work to saw down big tree trunk, tree falls (12:23). Prepped tree trunk transported to mill via bulldozer (12:41). Inside the mill, tree trunk is sawed down to make boards (12:57). Men hoe the land to plant new tree saplings (13:11). Sign for West Coast Lumbermen’s Association: Forest Industries Tree Nursery (13:15). Rows of trees at nursery in early stages of growth (13:17). Shots of fully grown trees waving in the wind (13:35). Animation returns, boy and board fly back to finished house (13:50). Abandoned frames of homes due to lack of lumber (14:14). Animated man drops cigarette butt into live action dried leaves, montage of animals looking alert as they smell smoke (14:46). Fire ravages forest (15:30). Remains of forest, barren trees, smoke, and ashes (15:53).
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
