The herald., 1898-08-24
The Forest Fires !
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By ABBOT KINNEY

By ABBOT KINNEY
The Sierra Madre range constitutes the
main watershed of the springs and streams
of Los Angeles and San Bernardino coun-
ties. The condition of this mountain
watershed determines the delivery of the
rainfall upon 1t to the valleys below. The
fact is fully established that forest cover
ing, whether of trees or brush, delays the
delivery of a given rainfall. The more for
ested a watershed Is the slower is the de-
livery of the rainfall. consequently the
springs and streams are more perennial IN
their character under such conditions, and
the danger from flood Is diminished. On
the other hand, bare mountain watershed
offers no delay to the escape of the rainfall
There Is no opportunity for the rain to per-
colate through the soil or to enter water
veins through which it is delivered months
or years after 1t has fallen. The delivery
of the rain from a bare mountain water
shed is necessarily sudden and diluvial In
character. Such watershed produces
torrents now raging and destructive and
again arid wastes of sand and boulders
Floods replace the regular flow of springs
and streams.
Those acquainted with human experience
and disaster from undue deforestation OF
mountain watersheds have long urged these
matters on the people of California. Ac-
ton to protect our mountain watersheds
has commenced. First the most important
forest areas were held out from sale and
constituted into permanent reserves.
For a long time nothing more Of prac-
teal kind was done. No system for the
management or protection of the forest re-
serves was inaugurated. This year the
secretary of the interior has authorized
the employment of forest rangers. A con-
siderable number of these have been en-
ployed both in the Sierra Nevada and in
the Sierra Madre, but still without any
general and adequate plan of action.
While these two things, the establishment
of forest reserves and the appointment OF
men to protect and govern them, are most
important and promising, 1t is clear that
we have now come to the point where an
adequate plan of action should be formu-
lated.
Such plans have been made and submit
ted. The plan for the Sierra Madre range
submitted long since to the government Of
ficers is as follows:
Establishment of patrol at the opening
of the dry season. Such patrol could
either. be of specially appointed officers or
of details from the army In either case
the patrol should be under permanent civil
forest officers.
Establishment of such patrol in central
distributing stations located so as to be
accessible to the largest possible forest
area In each caseA
Establishment of various signal stations
SO as to cover entire forest area.
Mapping In duplicate the area under
each signal station and the division Of such
area into numbered districts. One map to
be at the signal station and one ait the
patrol headquarters.
Connection Of signal stations by tele-
phone lines with patrol stations. Such tele-
phone connection was found to require but
little new work, as existing lines could by
short extensions cover most of the area in
volved.
Construction OF trails where none exist
from patrol stations so that access would
be easy to all parts Of the reserve.
This is the first outline for fire protection
With this system the first sign of forest
fire would be Immediately reported, and
the trained and prepared patrol be on Its
way to control 1t.
The general estimate is that forest fire
requires from eight to twelve hours to gain
a dangerous Roadway. The outline map
tod
With this plan demonstrated that a battalion
of cavalry could be located SO as to have
adequate patrols within six hours at most
of any section of the Sierra Madres.
Such a system would give us perfect In
surance against any very destructive forest
fire.
Besides this, 1t was proposed that there
should be station on each of the trails or
roads entering the forest reserve. At these
stations visitors for any purpose to the
forests would be furnished free of charge
a permit to travel therein. The permit
would state the route to be followed, and
the time to be occupied. This would be
entered in the station book. Each traveller
would receive, with his permit a copy of
the forest rules as to fire, etc., and state
any violation of the same. In this way
every visitor would be advised Of the rules
and precautions necessary for the common
good in the forests. He would also know
that his location in the reserve was known
to the forest officers, and that violations
of the rules could be traced to INN.
Every visitor to the forests would In this
way be made to feel his personal RESPONSE
bility for fire setting, ETC., and would know,
further, that there was an efficient patrol
within striking distance.
I believe that every forest lover hates to
see the forest destroyed by fire. Every irri-
gator, and, in fact, every one on any water
Is personally interested in the pre-
servation of our water sheds. 1t must,
then, be an occasional and irresponsible
fool that starts the wasteful and deadly
forest fires or, as is more often the case,
the man ignorant q our conditions and
careless In his camp or other use of fire.
A complete system on these lines will. in
my judgment, end the forest fires in South
ern California.
The areas already fire denuded might well
be planted with the local spruce and the
more hardy drought pines, such as p. Sa-
P. tuberculata, p. Coulterii, etc.
There Is no time to lose in this business
of watershed protection.
Philippine Taxes
Before you grumble about your taxes
lust reflect how much worse off the natives