 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill, pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the earth's sweet flowing breast. A tree that looks at God all day and lifts her leafy arms to pray. A tree that may in summer wear a nest of robins in her hair. Upon whose bosom snow is lain, who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree. Hi there, boys and girls. Didn't expect me to start off with a poem today, did you? Well, when the poet Joyce Kilmer wrote, Only God can make a tree, he made a profound statement. A tree is a wonderful creation made by the Lord's hand, and we use trees for a great many purposes. Trees are one of our most valuable assets, and much is done by us to preserve them until the time that they are ready to be cut down. Then we leave seeding trees to start the forest anew. We have tree farms where we grow thousands upon thousands of trees to reforest areas that have been cut for timber and the byproducts of wood. Believe me, out our way, you see plenty of action if and when we find our trees in danger. Well, our story today can have no better title than The Falling Giants. It sure as nice of you to bring me up here to see the giant pines. Well, I'm glad to do it, Mike. I wish that we could take more cliffs like this together. I really like them, man. Big pines. Oh, I think they're terrific. How old do you think they are? Oh, that's hard to say, son. Say, there's some kind of an exhibit along the road ahead. Let's stop and take a look. Well, Dad, it must be about these trees. It is about the trees. How to tell their age. Say, this is neat. Yes, this is a fine exhibit. Some of these trees have been here for over a hundred years. Yeah, there's a couple of seeding trees that are older than that. Boy, these are something. Yes, son. These trees are one of America's most valuable assets. Well, they're worth millions upon millions of dollars. Can we walk down and look closer at them? Well, I guess so. If I don't see any signs that say we can't. Here comes a ranger. Let's ask him. Good idea. Howdy, fellas. Hi, Ranger. How do you do? Say, Ranger, is it all right if we walk down among these pines? Sure is. That's what they're here for, just to admire. Thanks a lot. You're welcome. Hey, where are you from? Central City. I know that you wasn't from around here. By the way, don't strike any matches around the trees. Oh, we wouldn't do that. We've seen what fire can do to trees. I wish everybody felt that way. Say, you haven't got any candier food in your car, have you? No, we haven't. Well, I, uh, have you got a taste for some? Nope. But the bears around here have. They tell your car the piece he is trying to get at it. Well, enjoy yourselves. What was that? I don't know exactly, but it sounded like one of these big trees took a fall on his face. What are you going to do? Help me look. Can we come too? Sure. I have to move fast. Want me to take the wheel now, Brian? Yeah, maybe a better key. Something getting kind of sleepy. Oh, there's a good shoulder ahead by those giant pines. Yeah, I'll stop there. You're really good to hit the hay. Brian, that tree's going to fall. What? You're joking it, will you? Hey, look out! Look at that. Yeah. Oh, it's a good thing we got out there and fasted we did. We'd have been killed for sure. It fell right across the cab. Let's get out of here before more come down. You just said it. We got to find some way to tell our rangers. What's wrong with this tree ranger? I don't know, Mike. You can call me Stumpy. You mean the tree just fell over for no reason at all? Yep. That's what it looks like to me. This is the first time I've seen this happen. I've been in these forests a long time. Wow, do you think more will fall over just like this one? Well, I hope not. I'm not going to stay around to find out. Come on, let's get while we're getting good. Well, you're not just going to forget about this, are you, Stumpy? Oh, say I'm not. Soon as I get back to my patrol car, I'm going to radio Bill my boss and get him out here right suddenly, like, if not sooner. Stumpy must have flipped his lead. How can a big pine tree fall over like a ten-pin for no reason? I don't know, pal. I'll admit it sounds crazy, but it must be so. You're right. The old timers pull off a lot of tricks, but money doesn't choke about the trees. Right. Hey, look at those two men waving us down. What's the matter, fellas? Well, we glad you came along. Tree fell on the cam of our truck and crusted like a sponge cake. Where's your truck? Back up the road about half a mile and a half. Okay, hop in. We'll take a look. Where's the tree, old timer? Down inside the stand about a block. Who are these fellas? Hitchhikers? No, a tree fell across the cam of their truck and crusted. There's something mighty peculiar going on around here. Right. Are these two visitors? Yep. They stopped to look at the trees. This is Mike and his paw. The name is Leonard Smith, Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Smith, will you take these two men to naughty pine with you right away? I'd be glad to. Can we stay around and find out what's going on? I'm sorry. It's too risky. I'll get going. My car's right over here. Are you letting us know what's wrong? Sure. Don't send a tow truck because this area's going to be closed until it's considered safe again. Okay. Let's go, Mr. Smith. Yeah. Where do we go from here? You say there's no apparent reason for the tree you looked at to fall, old-timer? Nope. None that I could see. None at all. Maybe we should go back and look at the other one, too. We will in due time, Henry. The first thing is to sail off this area before someone gets killed. Stumpy, you go down the road about two miles and block it off. Henry, he'll take you there in the car. Henry, you can take me up the road first to where the tree fell on the truck. Okay. Let's go. Bumper and catfish. Look at the cab. Wait. It's flattened like a pancake. You said it, youngster. Paul Bunyan really stepped on it. Man, are those guys fortunate to be alive? I'll say they are. Now, you understand what you're to do, huh, pal? Sure. I'm to go back to headquarters and send out a dozen rangers to seal off the area and then bring out the equipment truck. Right. And don't forget to drop the old timer off where I said. Okay. I'll get going. Ranger? This road is closed, driver. What? Since when? Since I got here about ten minutes ago. Oh, see here, Ranger. Who do you think you are closing off this highway just like that? Just because you're wearing a law badge doesn't give you the right to abuse our citizens. This bus has a schedule to meet and we've got places to go and things to do. And I don't see who you think you are to stand there and say we can't go down this road. You rangers get mighty apathy to my way of thinking. Well, you glance down the road about a hundred yards and tell me what you see. Well, it looks like a giant pine fall to crush the cab of that truck. Bless my soul if it isn't. Another tree is falling down at the visitor stop. That's why you can't go through here with this busload of people. I'm awful sorry, Ranger. My husband always tells me I got a big mouth. I'm beginning to think he's right. You'll have to turn around here on this wide shoulder, driver. Go back to Route 97. Take it into naughty pine. Sure. Say what's making the trees fall? I don't know. That's where the danger is. Who knows what tree will be next? You can turn around right here. Yes, sir. Thank you, Lord. For keeping the trees here standing straight up. Well, that busload of people are parked here. These tolerables don't pay you the right tolerable in fact. Like you've been eating three squares a day. Well, I tell you, don't be prospecting for uranium. Is the site better paying than scratching for gold? Yeah, it's fine. You see, I thought I had cut through the big pines and saved me and Gertrude some walking. I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. Have you? I'll come. Please, say, where's them rangers going in such an old, fired hurry? Somebody rob a bank? Nope. They're going to wear bills at and get orders. Please, just don't pay for a fellow to open his eyes and son up to walk with my feet mourn your... That's right, operator. A Morton's Stengard. Yes, yes, I'll wait. Ah, Gray Wolf. Ah, yes, Bill. And the ground crew is here yet? Ah, trucks just pull up now. Tell Stumpy to take one crew and have them tear open the tree that fell in the forest. Now you take another and the winch truck and get the tree off the truck. Tow the truck out of danger and call Bill Nolan and tell him to tow it into town and tear the tree apart so Mort can have a sample when he gets here. Hold on, Mort. Gray Wolf. Here, Bill. Tell the other two crews to stand by ready to move out at any time. I tell them. All right, go ahead, Mort. Sorry for the delay. Oh, yeah, that's right. I did call you, Mort. How soon can you get here with your Mobile Land? Well, that depends on how urgent it is. I'm already working on a problem for Colonel Landers. Well, we've got pine trees falling down for no apparent reason. Fine. I'll clear it with Colonel Landers to take you off the hook. Okay, Henry. A mic. A mic. I'll leave the sides of the tent up in case we have to get out of here in a hurry. I forgot. This tent isn't made of steel. Fellows, I'm Gordon Payne from The Daily Herald. Well, howdy. We're the two truck drivers, and this is Mr. Smith and his son, Mike. How do you do, Mr. Smith? How about your story? Well, sure. We'll tell you about the truck, and Mr. Smith can tell you his experience. Well, the ranger Stumpy Jenkins said that as far as he could tell, the tree had no reason to topple over, Mr. Payne. Well, thanks, fellas. I'm going to call this in and then go out there. This sounds like a big one. I don't think you'll get through. Oh, no? Why not? Well, they've been rangers' cars and trucks piling through there all day. They ain't got that place sealed, tattered in a tire in a rim. Well, they'll have to let me in. I'm the press. Tom, you've got to let me pass. Sorry, Gordon. No can do. Oh, no. Is that any way to treat a buddy? I've done a lot of stories on you, fellas. Good ones, too. Well, then you should know better than to ask. When Bill says keep him out, that's just exactly what he means. See, Tom, let's see if he can stop this guy. He's went for a cane. A lumber millionaire. Where's Bill Jefferson, Ranger? Well, about two miles up the road in the heart of the trouble, sir. It's a foolish question, I guess. He's always been a thick of it. Open up the road block and now drive through. Can't do that. You know who I am. What was that? Another tree went down. That's why you can't go in there. All right. Can't you contact your boss? I want to talk to him. I've got millions tied up in trees and I want to know what's going on. You might as well call him Tom. Here comes Todd Jackson from the Department of Interior. I guess so. Looks like these trees have made enough noise to be heard in Washington. Everyone just went down. Okay, Henry. Put a red pin on the map. Sure. What's it look like, Mark? Nothing, Bill. Absolutely nothing. You can't find anything on those specimens? That's right. I've made slides from these samples and put them under the high-powered microscope. All I can see is healthy wood fibers. How do you like that? No disease, no bugs, bacteria? And yet they fall over like something's broken their backs. Well, perhaps you'd like me to go out to the actual spot and take a look. Yeah, but it'll be risky. I'm game. I'll get you a steel helmet. We'll get started. Right. Henry, answer the radio. Come on, Mort. Yes, pal? It's Tom. Hold it, Mort. What's he want? He says Mr. Cain and Mr. Jackson in the press want to see you. Well, tell them in about an hour. They want to come in. No. Absolutely no. How about the governor? Same answer. One of these trees can kill him just as easy as anyone else. Sorry, gentlemen. The boss says no. Right, just as well. Sit down, then, gentlemen. Bill Jefferson means what he says. But Governor, how can he say that to you? That's what I want to know, too, Philip. Winthrop? Gordon? When a man's trying to do a good job and he know he's capable and knows far more than any of us do about the problem, I say the best way we can help is by being patient. Obviously, Bill hasn't found the answer yet. Or he'd tell us. Now, let's not make his job any more difficult than it is already. Well, thank you, Governor. It's mighty generous of you. It's all, Thomas. I'm not walking under any fallen trees. Hey, that was close. And how? Let's get out of here. Right. Oh, that's so funny. This? Are you sure one of these giants hasn't hit you on the head? No. You know, Mark, we're never too old or too experienced to run up against something new. You mean like this? Yeah, like this. You know, I have the unusual desire to run around this forest and push on all the trees to see how many of them will fall down. Oh, man, you're a rough lake. You got any better answers? No, no. I guess your roof doesn't leak. Maybe I'm going to wish it did before this is over. Well, since we can't find any bugs pushing over the trees and diseases making them tired of standing, what next? I guess I'll have to go down and talk to the big cannons. I hope they'll not roar too loud when I tell them I haven't any answers. That's it, gentlemen. I haven't been able to find out the cause of this unusual phenomenon. You haven't, eh? Well, you'd better. I've got millions signed up in trees, and I want an answer. You'll probably wake up in the morning and find all my trees laying on the ground. I rather doubt that, Mr. Cain. It appears that this condition is confined to this immediate area. But you don't know, do you? That's right. I don't. You'd better have an answer soon, Bill. The Secretary of Interior is quite disturbed by this. He's worried that it's a new disease that could sweep forests all over the country. Well, would you prefer that I lie and tell you some drummed-up tale about gremlins pushing over the trees? Gentlemen, Bill's right. Let's not panic because we haven't found the answers sticking out of our pockets. That may very well be for you to say, Philip. It's not your money that's invested in timber. Winthrop, that's a very unkind remark. I'm interested not only in your timber, but in the timber owned by other people in this state. In fact, I'm very much concerned about every tree in the state. There are basic and essential natural resources. Perhaps you're right. But I want some answers, and I want them soon. Gentlemen, I'll have the answers within 24 hours, or else I'll resign from my post as Chief Ranger. What's the sense of staying up any more tonight? That's the fifth one so far tonight. Bill, you're dog-tired. You'll get sick going on without sleep. Perhaps. I'll be sicker if I don't find the answer to this. I know. Henry, get one of those large battery lights, will ya? I want to have one more look at the trees. If they don't find anything, they'll turn in and try it again in the morning. Dig around the broken roots. Maybe I'll find something. It's awfully peculiar that the anchor roots and the tap roots gave way. The hair roots are still in good shape. Yeah, I know. That's why I'm digging. Is it a root infection that eats away the main roots that hold a tree? Could be. Hey, why can't I dig too instead of standing around here shivering? Yeah, that's a good idea. You stand around on the other side, Henry. There's light enough for both of us. Sure. Step across this stump hole. It's too far to walk around. What happened, Henry? There's a fire under here! Come on! There you are. Boy, it's really hot. Oh, boy, I burned my ankle. How could you burn your ankle? Here, let me see. Don't blame me or take a look. Oh, boy. Great Scott, you did burn your ankle. Come on, let's get back to camp. Here, I'll carry ya. You can walk. What's the matter with ya? You glad I got burned? Henry, look where your foot went through the shallow earth. What? It's burning under there, like a peat bog fire. Sure it is. Why didn't I think of that before? It's a root fire. It burns down deep. We've never had this before. What a way to find it. Come on, pal. Let's spread the word and get the boys busy fighting the fire. Doing with those long rods. Why are they driving them down at an angle next to the trunk and roots? That long rod has a thermometer on the end of it, Mr. Cain. We can tell if there is a fire in the roots. This really is rare, isn't it, Bill? Yes, Governor, it's very rare indeed. How does it start? Well, lightning could do it. A strong bolt drives into the ground and the soil is of a peat-like composition. Strange thing about it is that the fire spreads underground and it can go undetected for months. But this one is even more weird because usually the fire is confined to trees in the immediate area of the first one to have a root fire. Well, then it could be freaky enough to be more than one fire, eh, Bill? That's right, Gordon. This area is noted for receiving heavy bolts of light not into the trees but into the ground. How can they put it out? Well, that's not easy. Every tree will have to be tested in this area and then we'll have to rip up the ground with chisel plows and flood the underground area with thousands of gallons of water. It'll take time, a lot of time. I know you'll handle that part all right, Bill. Thank you for finding the answer. Yes, many thanks, Bill. Gentlemen, don't thank me. Thank Henry. He is the one that got the hot foot. Perhaps we should call this story Henry's hot foot instead of the falling giants. Well, see you next week for more adventure with...