The daily tribune., 1908-10-28
NOW DO FOREST
FIRES sIaRT?

What stlrts these forest fires? This
question has been asked over and over
again this summer by readers of the
accounts 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 for
est are forgotten. 1t is true that per-
haps one.ha to three .fourths of the
forest fires do begin ss result of the
carelessness of some camper, or from
sparks flying from locomotives, but
there are number of things which
set the woods afire.
A complete report of forest fires on
the private forests of the country
and their causes is not kept by any
one. Uncle Sam, however, is most
careful to account for the damage
done by the blazes ON his timberland
under forest administration aggre.
eating about 16S. 600, 00O acres, and
each year the total area burned over :,
the timberland burned over, the
amount of timber destroyed and its
value, the cost of fighting fires. and
the causes of fires are carefully check
ed up. These reports are made at the
end Of the calender year, and the
announcement of this years losses
will therefore not be known for more
than two months
Last years figures. however. give
q good idea of the things which cause
fires in forests. OF the 1866 fires
discovered on the national forests last
year, all of which were checked by
the rangers before they had burned
over fourteen hundredths of one per
cent of the national forest area,
campers caused 346, while railroads
followed next with 73; lightning
came next, with 176; donkey enignes
used in numbering operations Fourth,
with 60; careless brush burning by
homesteaders clearing land, "a; 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 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:a wind so as to
reveal its presence to the watohful
forest officer
While campers caused more fires
than locomotives last year. there are
many seasons when the railroads hold
undisputed claim to first place. For
est fires started by both are mostly
unnecessary. If campers would exer-
else care in starting camp fires and be
sure that they are extinguished be-
fore they are left. and II the rail-
/ ,saa lao. do
and efficient spark srresters, it is
reasonable to think that the annual
forest fire loss could be reduced NOR e
than one half. lightning ranks
third among the causes of fires. and
Of coarse, man has no greater re-
sponsibility in this case than to rut
the fire out as soon as possible after
discovery. Careless brush burning
by homesteaders and persons clearing
land 10 said to be the cause of many
of the fires which have started this
year, particularly those which have
swept over the Lake states.
The ranger force on many Of the
national forests have been kept busy
fighting fires which, If left to run un-
checked, would have done incalcul.
able damage. By quickeping com
IN unication between important points
through the construction of telephone
lines, and building roads and trails
the national forests have been made
more accessible during the past two
year and fire fighting has been greatly
facilitated.