The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-10-30
CAUSE OF FOREST FIRES.
Campers, Locomotives and Lightning
Responsible for Many.

What starts these forest fires? Thi
question has been asked over and owe
again the past summer by readers of TIN
accounts of the destructive fires which
have been raging in all parts of the coun
try Campers and locomotives, is the usua
answer Many OF the other things which
start bazes in the forest are forgotten
1t is true that perhaps one.half to three
fourths of the forest fires do begin as Q
result of the carelessness of some camper
or from sparks flying from locomotives
but there are number OF things which
set the woods ahre.
A complete report of forest fires on the
private forests of the country and their
causes is not kept by anyone. Uncle Sam,
however, is most careful to account for the
damage done by the blazes on his timber
land under forest administration, aggre-
eating about l6S,000,000 acres, and each
year the total area burned over, the tim
Der land burned over, the amount of tim
Der destroyed and its value, the cost Of
| fighting fires and the causes of fires are
carefully checked up. These reports are
made at the end of the calendar year, and
the announcement of this years losses will
| therefore not be known for more than
two months.
Last years figures, however, give good
idea of the things which cause fires in for
national forests last year, all of which
were checked by the rangers before they
had burned over fourteen hundredths of
one per cent Q4-l00 Of ! per cent? of the
national forest area, campers caused GAG,
while railroads followed next with 273;
lightning came next with l76; donkey en-
gines used in numbering operations fourth
with 65; careless brush burning by home
steaders clearing land, "a; fires caused by
i , Ill 81
hunters, 30. For more than 400 Of the
fires the cause is not known. This is not
strange when it is remembered that a fire
may smolder for days if the air is too
thick to permit the smoke to be seen at |
distance before it breaks out when |
famed by wind so as to reveal its pres
ence to the watchful forest officer.
While campers caused more fires than |
locomotives last year, there are many sea
sons when the railroads hold undisputed
claim to first place. Forest fires started
ers would exercise care in starting camp
fires and be sure that they are extin-
guished before they are left, and if the
railroad companies would use the most
modern and efficient spark arresters, it is
reasonable to think that the annual forest
fire loss could be reduced more than one
half. Lightning ranks third among the
causes OF fires, and OF course, man has no
greater responsibility in this case than to
put the fire out as soon as possible after
discovery. Careless brush burning by
and persons clearing land is
said to be the cause of many of the fires
which have started this year, particularly
hose which have swept over the lake
states.
The ranger force on many of the nation :
i forests has been kept busy fighting fires
which, if left to run unchecked, would
lave done incalculable damage. By quick |
ming communication between important |
POINTS through the construction Of tele- a
hone lines, and building roads and trails, e
he national forests have been made more !
ccessible during the past two years and J
re fighting has been greatly facilitated.