Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-10-14
FOREST FIRE LOSS
A MILLION A DAY
AND CONGREGATIONS ARE
AvoIDABLE IN NEARLY ALL
CASES.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PRO-
TEcTs ITS RESERVES IN A
SYSTEMATIC MANNER.

thinking people to the necessity for
the preservation of our natural re-
sources than the great forest fires
which have been so widely distribut-
ed throughout the country and have
played such havoc this summer. 1t
is doubtful if the losses for the year
1908 will ever be fully known, but a
conservative estimate by DR.. w. J.
MCGEE, erosion expert, United States
department of agriculture, places the
aggregate loss in all parts of the
country during these months OF con-
flagration at $1,OOO,OOO a day.
In nearly every instance, probably
in every instance, these devastating
fires might have been prevented if
the various states had provided an
adequate number of men to patrol the
woods and arrest all such fires in
their incipiency, and if lumbermen
and other users of the forest were
careful to dispose of brush after log
ging so as to prevent the spread of
fires.
Uncle Sam has had a lot of work
to do on his national forests in the
Are-fighting line this year, but his
work has shown good results. Ex-
elusive of the salaries of forest off,
GERS, the work of putting down fires
on the national forests for the year
has Gst the government 100000
This means protecting approximately
168,000,000 acres. The value of the
cimber destroyed will not be known
until the fire reports are made at
the end of the year, though it is es-
timated that it will be larger than
last year. But it will be insignifi-
cant when compared with the appall-
ing fire losses outside of the national
forests on unprotected areas, or with
the destruction which would have
come to the timber in the national
forests had they not been protected.
These results have come through
the increased efficiency of fire patrol
and methods of fighting fire and
through the cooperation of settlers
and users of forests who understand
that the forests are their property
and that a loss from fire is a person
al one. BY posting fire notices and
giving advice the government has Sc
cured cooperation from the outside.
which may be said to be as important
an agency in reducing the loss from
forest fires as is the perfection of
machinery for fighting these fires.
After timber is cut, the regulations
require brush to be compactly piled at
safe distance from living trees.
Sometimes this brush is burned under
direction of a Forest officer; but even
if it is allowed to stand, no fire that
starts finds fuel by which it can spread.
The national forests are constantly
patrolled by a picked force Of rangers
and guards. The present summer
force of such rangers and guards,
whose main duty is fire patrol, is l.
351 men; the average area that each
is required to protect is 121,506 acres.
1t is fully understood that this area is
altogether too large, and just as
soon as funds are available to permit
of the employment of large force OF
men the area will be reduced.
In order to provide rapid means of
travel between the various parts OF
the national forests and to facilitate
the massing of large forces of men to
fight fire, as well as to furnish van
ta0a noinfc from uyb;ob +bo e..
be fought successfully, 100 miles of
road and $500 miles of trail were
built during the last fiscal year. In
several cases firebreakers from 16 to
100 feet in width have been con-
structed, from which all timber ana
infiammable material is removed. to
furnish obstacles to the spread of fire,
or straight lines of defense in fight
ing the fire once started. Several
miles of such fire-breakers now exist
on the national forests in southern
California, where it is especially i'm
portant that the forest cover on the
watersheds of important irrigation
streams be protected.
Telephone lines have been con-
structed connecting ranger stations
with the headquarters of the fores-, in
order that fires may be reported and
promptly extinguished. During the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1908, g.
800 miles of telephone line were con-
structed in the national forests.
Just as rapidly as possible, each ma.
tional forest is supplied with shovels,
axes, and other tools, which are dis
tributed over the forests and cabins.
and TOOL boxes are placed 3 to 80
times, according to the experts. But
taking the minimum of 1,4o0 900
horsepower, its rental at $40 per
horsepower per year would amount to
an annual return of $4,000 900. wa
ter power is much cheaper than fuel