The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-17
RAvAGES BY
FOREST FIRES.
William H. Chew, Secretary
Of the Forest Park Ressr-
vation Commission De-
tails the Damage Done
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PREyEN-
TIoN OF DESTRUCTIVE con
FLAGRATIoNs AND FOR Sue
cEssFuLLY CoMBATTING
THEM -

Mr. William H. Chew. in the first an
nual report of the Forest Park Reserya-
ton Commission. discusses the damage
done by FIRE. He says.
One of the greatest foes to forestry
in New Jersey has been the dreaded for
est fire. Not alone has it caused large
annual loss to the owners of the forest,
but in the pine belt especially it has
caused marked and permanent decrease
in productiyeness. The deterioration
which the forest has undergone through
fire is expressiveiy shown By Plates l.,
H.. III, w, which Illustrate the con
trast between a bit of original Forest
which has escaped fire and lands which
have been repeatedly burned. This de-
structiye agency has been at work for
years depicting our natural woodlands,
and although annual warnings have gone
out there has not yet been inaugurated in
this State any systematic method Of pro-
tAcsing forest from fire. With the crea-
ton of the present Board of Forest Park
Reservation Commissioners it was natu-
raj that one of the first subjects to be
discussed should be that of forest fires
and how to prevent them. 1t is a sub
ject that has been given very little legs
iatiye attention in New Jersey and those
fire laws which are ON our statute books
are lamentably ineffective. For several
years it has been the custom Of the Ge-
| ological Survey to make an annual re-
port on the forest fires in this State, aud
few of our people, We feel sure. who have
rot followed these reports closely realize
how enormous has been the damage
wrought. Taking the years 1902, 1903
and 1904 which are the most recent from
which these reports are obtadnable, it
will be seen that there were in those
years a total of 226 fires, burning over
225, ,426 acres and causing damage CON
servatively estimated in money at $685.
4S0.5O. These fires practically all oc-
CURED between April and November.
The lesson that these figures convey is
impressive, and is emphasized when it is
stated that all of this valuable property
was destroyed without any organized ef-
fort being made to extinguish the fires.
1t is am old saying that what is every
body's business is nobody's, and so it
has proved in fighting wood fires. There
fore, the Commission has febt that it was
its most urgent duty to take such action
and ask for such laws as would safe
guard all the forest property of the
State That it was. in great measure,
the dlty of the State as q. State-to
take the matter in hand. Under the law,
however, by which the Commission was
created, it is not possible to establish
any fire protection on any lands not al
ready acquired by the State for forest
reserves. The. necessity, then, for a
Estate Forest Fire Law is obvious, and
this Commission would most earnestly
recommend the passage By the Legisla-
ture at once Of such a law.
There are many reasops that can be
urged in favor of such a measure. In
1899 the Geological Survey published
most comprehensive report on forests as
authorized by Chapter CXX, Laws Of
1894. In that report Professor john G.
Smock, then State Geologiat. pointed OUT
that first and foremost the protection
of the forests demands the care Of the
community and the State in stopping the
fires which are caused BY carelessness.
malice and avoidable. accidents Con
tinuing. Professor Snioek writes. ION the
Blue Or Kittat:nuy mountains the pro-
ks
lection asainst fires i demanded, because
of the easy iniananpsbilAty Of the pitch
pines and the dry condition Of the. pine
and deciduous-tree leaves In the autumn
and ils the spring. III tie Southern part
of the State the necessity Of public pro
lection is imperative if there is to be
any production Of timber IN that part of
the State"
In considering the inauguration Of
forest-6re fighting system the average
citizen may Wen inquire ooneeaiaAs the
money return, and We tAefore quote
again from this report.
Mr.. Pinchot tnow chief ii the United
States Bureau Of Forestry, after d care
full study, estimates that owing 10 ires
the pine forest s now xielssing only one
third ~ much wood a. i svVpld yield L