The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-07
FOREST PROTECTION
Destruction By Fire Of
Woodland Area Causing
Great Alarm.
STATES LOSS $1,000 0
Remedies Suggested by Mr.. Clifford
Biologists Report Anxiously
Looked For.

Dally Advertiser" The cry that flames
have been eating up the woodland in the
central and East Jersey belt of the State
mas peen so continuous and sometimes so
exaggerated, that the people ave ceased
- become alarmed AT the present time
aS 9Y are confronted with a condition Of
aHalrs that threaten the general wealth
OF the State. The authorities have had
S~1pssrvatlons made, and they find that
$1,000 worth of woodland and other
property, was destroyed during the year
1888. and that a few more of such raw
ages Will consume all the woodland. and
VIII mar the topography of the State,
ana cause much loss.
The thoughtful people of New Jersey
VIII pc surprised when State Geologist
Sinock presents in his report the result
OF ms special observers on this subject,
n VIII show by facts. figures and maps
now a great a fire small locomotive sparks
sometimes kindle. New Jersey spends
$1,000 annually to protect game and fish
stone roads, and $4,000 for tuberculosis.
yet the question of preventing and fight
ing nreS is one that seven-eighths of the
people of the State think of so little inn
portance as not ever to give it passing
consideration.
There will be a demand made for legis-
lation on this subject. The scheme that
will be proposed will be a police and fire
system, the former to prevent, by watch
ing the known causes, and the latter to
extinguish the fires. If the new legisla-
lOfS lOllOW III LIE pTSCGu6uI OIL the IOf-
mer bodies. and show skepticism about
the real damage by forest fires, the sub
ject may take a serious turn, for the
owners of pine lands. that have been de-
on he ground that they have received
no protection, and this will bring the
question before the courts. AS a matter
Salem county, has furnished a judicial
precedent, for he has just won a suit of
$500 for damage done his timber by a fire
started by his neighbour, James Norton
on forest fires for the State. He is con-
nected with the State Geological Depart
ment and is editor Of The Forester" He
this statement of facts. which is the re-
suit of his official Observations
in South Jersey the regions most seri-
Atlantic. Cape May and Cumberland
counties, and in North Jersey. mainly in
the region of Beaufort, Kittitinney and
Green Pond Mountains. Ocean county
the dryness. This shortlived immunity is
due to the fact that almost all com
bustible matter was destroyed by the
great fires which swept over it the year
previous. Cape May and Atlantic coun-
ties suffered the most. The fires last year
owing to the extreme dryness. destroyed
the humus in the swamps, which has
been ages in accommodating, and which
usually serves to stay the progress or
fires,
|ln ocean, ESuEliuSlOl anu AlldltiC
counties, about $4,000 acres were devas-
tated, and owing to the nature of the
property destroyed, including cranberry
boys, houses. fences, etc, cannot fali
its effects on the soil, the waterlow and
other natural conditions. In the sWamps,
trees which were not burned, have topped
over. forming large masses of ~decaying
matter which will breed millions of in
sects.
Il do not know the exact damage in
T@-N 49, Nr.. 1afaf ~ g tyArVyN orn a +
From what / have seen I think 10000
acres a low estimate, and the amount of
damage in the neighborhood Of 500, 900.
IA about g per cent. Of fires have been
caused by sparks and Goals from locomo-
~tives-mainly from Goals falling from the
crate: Tbs rest stare ca sTha by c say;o5s
fires were caused during September and
October, with a few in the early spring.
im r %gaafs:Irh bank fir sTe t alfh5 meas
they cannot be altogether stopped, a
be reduced materially by q little effort
and slight Expense ems 6rs Ih h,,nn Is w NJ oae h 70
noticed for some time. One fire
lasted over three weeks in the swamp
culat:on. It is depopuiating and render
jersey. Parts Of Atlantis. Cape May
The steps towards preveatiop-the
measure must be preventive and not
curative-are briefly. in my opinion !, as
must must" be done by the employment Of
Some one to anvass the State, lectur~
ing and presenting facts and figures.
aioTg railroads. 100 feet on each side,
made in Cape May County, and in clear
brush and ~combustible litter, but not
destroying the large trees which shade
the road. The trees ought to be. of the
act as stays in preventing. the progress
Of fire. instead of being the sources of
It. Thirdly. some one ought to be APP
Square miles Of forest to. apprehend and
bring to count wood thieves, malicious
n careless. fire.setters, and to super
lighting of fires"
Professor Oxford, in a report recently
prepared for IT. the ,es State E, makes make. the he's state 9ds-
aged sl.ooo,0oo per year for the last ff-
ten tffsct Or VENT " 6ye yH ia 1894 "a as paq s7' GO &c ae area
land amounted to $, 10000.
timber niSe but they. nave eaten Up f5oass
ands of acres of cranberry vines, and
have destroyed personal. property, such
as houses, stables and their contents to
lars.
follows. incendiaries. careless individuals,
locomotives and lightning.
There is another aspect of forest fires,
and that is that the expenditure of large
land with lame gams and Protecting piyaecii # the game game
that is already there will be useless as
long as forest fires rage and destrop these
General Elias Wright. an old surveyor,
who has been working in the South Jer-
sey pines for limos half a century. make
the rough estimate that since 1866 he per-
sona1iv has seen timber DESTROYED nv fire