Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-10-23
FOREST FIRES.

engaged the Bureau of Forestry for
several years. The results of this
study, in the form of bulletin en-
titled Forest Fires, ".by Alfred Gas
kill, will be published soon. By inn
pressing the public with some idea of
the peril it suffers from forest fires,
and the enormous damage they do, the
Bureau hopes to induce more effective
legislation in suppressing them. In
vestigation has shown that in an
average year, 60 human lives are lost
in forest fires, S95, OOO, 600 worth of
real property is destroyed, 10, ga, 0s9
acres Of timber land are burned over,
and young forest growth, worth, at
the lowest estimate, $40, 600, 600, is
killed. A special canvass of the
country by the Department of Agri-
culture in 1891 discovered 12, 900, 600
acres of timber land destroyed by fire.
These figures are mere estimates,
which fall short Of showing In full
the damage done. No account at all
is taken of the loss to the country
due to the impoverishment of the soil
by fire, to the ruin of water courses,
and the drying-up Of springs Even
the amount of timber burned is very
imperfectly calculated, and the actual
quantity destroyed is far in excess of
that accounted for. Forest fires in
this country have grown so common
that only those are reported that are
Of such magnitude as to threaten
large communities. The numbering
industry in remote sections of the
country may be ruined and people
forced to flee for their lives without
u mention of the disaster beyond the
places near where il occurred.
The fires that burnt this year IL
Washington and Oregon were uncom-
mon only in the number Of lives lost.
The burning Of logging and mining
camps and farm buildings, the loss to
the country in the destruction of tim
Der and young tree growth, is of
yearly occurrence. Every fall, not
only in Washington, Oregon, Colorado
and Wyoming, hut up and down the
Pacific coast and all over the Rocky
mountain country, fires burn great
holes in the forests and destroy the
national wealth. The air of the
mountains over hundreds Of miles
is pungent with the smoke Of con.
migration, and navigation on Puget
Sound has often been impeded by
smoke. The following comment by
DR.. Henry Gannett Of the U. S.
Geological Survey, should convoy u
fair idea of the damage done In the
state of Washington: In less than q
generation two-iifths Of the standing
timber has been destroyed in one of
the richest timber regions ON the
continent, and Of the destruction more
than half has been caused by fire.
Assuming that the timber would, IL
standing, have the value of 10 cents
per thousand feet, not less than $50,
OO0 600 worth has gono up in smoke,
q dead loss to the people Of the state. a"
The enumeration Of great forest fires
could DO extended almost indefinitely.
One feature, however, is common to
them all They were small fires before
they grew uncomfortable, and with
little trouble might have been extin-
guished, For example, the Ilincklcy
fire smoked as a ground FIRE for weeks
and nobody paid II serious attention.
But one day the wind rose aud famed
the smouldering cmbcrs into flame,
the flame caught in the dry under
brush, leapod into the trees and be-
came fire Of so terrible volume
that no human power could stay IT,
The creation Of a sentiment against
forest fires is the first step toward
their suppression. Legislation is nee
essary, but II must be accompanied by
the cooperation Of the people and the
officers charged with the enforce
ment Of the law The fall and tho
early spring, before vegetation has be-
gun are the dangerous seasons for
forest fires in most densely wooded
parts Of the country. At such times
special precautions should be taken
and the people should be kept alert by
constant reminders Of the peril. An
excellent idea, AS Mr. Gaskill sug-
gests, is to placard trees along roads
and trails with notices Of the danger
and warnings Of penalties to be in
CURED by those who violate the fir,
laws.