The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-27
HOW DO FOREST FIRES srARrp
Question Answered in a Conclusive Way
by the Forest Service.

by the Forest Service.
What starts these forest fresi This
question has been asked over and over
again this summer by readers Of the ac-
counts Of the destructive fires which
have been raging in all parts Of the
country.
Campers and locomotives, is the usual
answer. Many of the other things which
start blazes in the forest are forgotten.
II is true that perhaps one-half to three
fourths Of the forest fires do begin as a
result OF the carelcssncss Of some camp.
er, or from sparks flying from locomo-
tiyes, but there are number Of things
what set the woods a.hre.
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 timberland under forest
administration, aggregating to about 1863.
100000 acres, and each year the total
area burned over, the timberand burned
over, the amount Of timber destroyed
and its value, the cost of lighting fires.
and the causes Of fires are carefully
checked up. These reports are made at
the end Of the year, and the announce.
ment 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 forests, OF the ,355 fires discovered
on the national forests last year, all of
which were checked by the rangers be-
fore they had burned over fourteen hum
dredths of one per cent (l4-l00 OF | per
cent? of the national forest area, camp.
ers caused SAG. while railroad locomo.
tiyes followed next with 273; lightning
came next, with IT6; donkey engines
used In numbering operations. fourth,
with 65; careless brush burning by home
steaders clearing land 34 fires caused
by incendiaries and those set by herders
and hunters, 80. For more than 400 of
the fires the cause Is not known. This
is not strange when it is remembered
that fire may smoder for days, if the
air is too thick to permit the smoke to
be seen at distance, before ii breaks
out when famed by wind so as to
reyeal its presence to the watchful for
est officer.
While campers caused more fires than
last year, there are many
seasons when the railroads hold undis- |
puted claim to first place. Forest fires
started by both are mostly unnecessary. |
I'll campers would exercise care in start
ing camp fires and be sure that they are
extinguished before they are left, and
Il the railroad companies would use the |
most modern and efficient spark arrest |
ars, 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 |
N this case than TO put the fire ont |
rs soon as possible after discovery. /
Careless brush burning By homesteaders |
md persons clearing land is said to be
he cause Of many Of the fires which |
lave started this year, particularly those
yhieh have swept over the lake states.
The ranger force on many of the ma
ional forests has been kept busy fight
ne fires which. If left TO run unchecked.
would have done incalculahle damage.
BY qmckening communication between
important points through the construc-
ion Of telephone lines, and building
Dads and trails. the national forests
AVE been made more accessible during
he past two years and fire fighting has
cen greatly facilitated.