The herald., 1898-11-14
FOREST FIRES AND WAFER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
nv ABBOr KINNEY

BY ABBOT KINNEY
Intelligent settlers in California are De-
coming each year more urgent ana more
unanimous in demand for rational forest
system.
Experience is educating our people to an
appreciation of the great Importance OF the
question. The forest fires increase IN ire
quency and ferceness with the increase OF
population. The forests are injured or de-
stroyed. The water-holding power OF the
mountain watersheds is diminished. This
causes and must more and more cause the
rainfall to rush off in floods, while the per-
ennial character of the springs and streams
is weakened or destroyed. A political for
est system used as an asylum for practical
politicians will never meet the needs OF the
situation.
The forest system inaugurated this year
by the department of the interior has
proved entirely incompetent to deal with
the forest question.
A great deal of money has been spent on
the forest fires. Unfortunately most OF
this money has been wasted. The policy
adopted by the Washington officials has
been vacllating and contradictory. For
iuctduSC, III tuC uloN Puit VI tiS ySoh chNS
pasturage in the forests was prohibited.
Next rule was adopted to permit sheep
pasturage by allowing herds to be driven
through the forests. The last rule was
cruel enforcement of the first upon the
herds driven in by authority of the second
rule. The forest fires have never been so
destructive as under the new political con-
troll. The best remedy for an immediate
dealing with the forest question is as fol-
lows:
First-One chief forester for California.
Second-Subordinat heads of districts
appointed by him and receiving orders from
him alone.
Third-A summer patrol of the mountain
forests. These should be composed at first
of detachments of the United States army.
This form of patrol can be permanent or
continued until competent and disciplined
body of foresters is organized. The pres
ent patrol has no discipline.
Fourth-Signal stations with telephone
connection to be established in mountain
forests. This is neither difficult nor ex-
pensive in the southern reservations, be-
cause the resorts and water companies have
telephone connections near appropriate sig
nal stations.
Fifth-Location of patrol camps at
points most easily accessible to extensive
districts.
Sixth-Mapping of forests by fire sections,
one such map of each district to be properly
numbered in signal station and another at
patrol center. In this way immediate no.
tice of fire and its location would be
furnished to the force organized to extin-
guish it.
Seventh-No persons allowed in forest
reservations without permit. Permit to
be furnished free at convenient points OF
access. Permit to give route and business
of person or party and to have stub or
entry on book to be kept for the purpose.
Eighth-Each such permit to be accom-
panied by the printed forest rules and pen
alties for violation of same. One important
feature of these rules would be the precau-
ton against fire from camp fires, smokers,
etc.
Ninth-Privileges of use Of forest pro-
ducts or the resources in water or min
erals of the public forest lands should grad
ually be assimilated to modern forest prac-
tice and revenue derived from these suf-
ticient to support the forest police and pa
troll
The following letter is one of many sim
liar ones sent to me and shows that We are
rapidly coming to point where the people
realize the true line of interest we have in
rational system of forestry. Such a sys-
TEN is necessary for our safety, because
of our climate and topography. No coun-
try in the world needs a forest system more
than California does. The outline of for
eba baI I1y 90, fhic CT 70
some eighteen years ago is the one along
which present remedies are proposed.
There is no language too clear and plain
in which to describe the ineffective char
acter of the fire work in the forests by the
present political forest patrol.
Mr.. Abbot Kinney, Los Angeles, CAL
Dear Sir: l am in receipt of your favor OF
yesterday requesting my views as to the
best means of lessening or controlling for
est fires.
In reply beg to state:
First-The principal sources or origin cf
forest fires is doubtless from camping par
ties, carelessness in not exercising sufficient
caution in building and extinguishing
camp fires.
The only possible remedy which occurs
to me is to permit entry upon the reserve
for camping purposes only upon permit is-
sued by some one in authority, which per-
nit should state the name, age and resi-
dence of each person who goes upon the res
ervation for camping purposes, and when
the permit is issued there should be deliv-
cred to the person receiving the same
printed rules and cautionary instructions to
be observed by him relative to tires-how
to build and how to extinguish them. The
mountain rangers should be instructed to
arrest any person on the reserve not in pos
session of duly issued permit, and the
law should impose fine for unlawful tres
pass.
These rules need only to be enforced be-
tween May lst and December lst.
A large part of the San Gabriel reserve
is visible from the summit of Mount Lowe
or Wilson's peak. Some one should be sta
toned on one or the other of these noun
tans whose duty should be to watch out
for incipient forest fires.
| believe both of the large fires this year
could have been extinguished by prompt az
ton by the authorities if such lookout
had been employed. These stations should
be connected by telephone, and they should
be on duty from July lst until the winter
rains follow.
Rangers are often inefficient or lazy
and if scheme could be devised which
would detect ineAiciency it would aid ma
terially.
Second-In building the trails over the
mountains bushes have been cut and thrown
to one side in heaps, and left to dry They