Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-10-04
How Uncle Sans Forests are Pro
tected From Fire.

How Uncle Sans Forests are Pro
teeted From Fire.
Nothing corld better call The NJ.
tention OF thinking people 40 she he
.. ssitv for the preservation OF our
aatura, resources than III" great for
.st frs which have been 10 wide
Nv distributed throughout the country
and have playsl such havoc th's
summer. II Is doubtful II III" losses
for the year 1908 will ever be fully
known. but o conserva,iE" estimate"
hy Or. ". J. MCGEE. Erosion EXP 1T,
United States Department Of Agricul'
lure, places the aggrcgat" loss IN all
parts OF the country during these
months Of couflagration ut 81 ,0no, 900
day.
In nearly every instance. probably
in every instance, these devastating
fires m.ght have been prevented II
The various states had prnv!d Il an
udequa @ number OF :nrn To patrol the
woods and arrest all Eucn fires IN
heir incipiCHcy. and II Iumb'rmth
and other users Of IL n ST wer"
careful to dispose OF brush after log
ging so as to prevent tn" spread oi
fires.
Uncle Sam has had 1t OF work
to do on his National + rests in IN"
tire fighting line this year. but MS
work has shown good results. IN
elusive of the salaries OF forests OIL
fic.rs. the work OF putting down
fires on the National Forests for The
year has cost the gu,'rnm Mt $40
mately l6S. O0G 900 acre. The value
of the timber destroyed Will not he
known until the FIRE reports are mate
at the end of the year, though II l.
estimated that Ii will he larger than
last year. But it will b" insignificant
when compared with the appalling
fire LOSES outside VI, the National
Forests on unprotected areas. or win
the destruction which would have
come to the timber in tn" National
Forests had they not b. II projected.
These results have come through
the increased efficiency pf fire patrol
ard n~ticGs CT feht;I l,r anu
through the cooperation Of settlers
and users of Forests who under
stand that the Forests are Their prop
erty and that loss from fire is a
personal onS. BY posting firA notices
and giving advice the vtrnment
has secured cooperation from the
outside. which may De said TO H. as
important an agency in reducing the
loss from fore st fires as is the per
lection Of machinery FOR fighting
these fires.
After timber is cut. the regulations
require brush to be Compactly piitd
at a safe distance fr,1 living tres.
Sometimes this brush is burned under
direction of a Forest officer out even
If i, is allowed to stand. no fire that
starts finds fuel by which ii can
spread.
TIL National Forests are constant
w patrOiled by picked force OF
rangers and guards. whose main duty
is fire patrol. is 1881 men: the
average area that each is required 10
protect is 1856 acres. 1t Is fully
und rstood that this area Is alto
gether too large. and just as soon as
funds are available to permit OF the
employ ment of larger force OF men
the areas will be +, tuced.
In order to provide rapid means OF
travel between the various parts oil
the National Forests and to facilitate
the massing OF larg. forces OF men 10
fight fire. ae WI as TO furnish van
tase points from which the fires may
be fought successfully, 100 miles Of
road and $500 miles Of trial were
built during the last fiscal year. In
several cases firc-Ereaks from l6 10
100 feet In width have been con-
structed, from which all timber ana
inflammabla material Is removed, 10
furnish obstacles 20 the spre ad OF
firs, or straight lines Of defense IN
fighting the fire Cnce started. Sever
al miles Of such fra-breaks now
exist on the National Forests in
southern California. where it is es-
peciaIly important hat the forest Gov
or on the watersheds CT important ir-
rigation streams l." protected.
telephone Iires have been con
ssructed connecting ranger stations
with the headCuar ters of the Forest.
in order that fires NAV be reported
and prcmply Cx'inguish7d- During
the fiscal wear ending June 90, 1905,
$500 miles OF telephone line were
constructed in tho National Forests.
Just as rapidly as rossib!s. each
National Forest is .upphed with SHOW
els. axes. ard Other tools, which are
distributed over Forests and cabins.
and tool boxes ar" placed at points
where Their is the greatest danger OF
fire and where the can be easily
reached by trial. Fioid glasses arr
also furnished. sine their use In dis
COVERING small fir at a considerable
distance has proven very helpful.
Upon the bass % the Forest Ser
vice exp rispcc N the National For
sSts on which tho total adminisira-
tion pr acre ;nc'ud ng fire patrol.
amounts 10 only ore per cent. the
whole forest area nf The Unit d States
could be prctec; ID from fire st total