Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-19
DATA ON FOREST
FIRES ARE ASKED
GOVERNMENT WISHES STATE
TO FURNISH FIGURES
FEDERAL SERVICE DESIRES FULL
INFORMATION
Chief Forester Pinchot Invites District
Manager of California to Cooper
ate in Collection of Desired
Statistics

That the country may have the most
complete compilation Of data on for
est fires, the forest service has invited
the cooperation of the members Of the
California conservation and forest
commissions with forest officers, and
in a letter to the district forester of
the state concerning this years work
In his district Chief Forester Pinchot
of the United States says:
Last fall the forest service attempt
ed to collect from the Washington Of
fee data on forest fires throughout
the United States. We got excellent
reports from a few states, but no in
formation whatever from many of
them. This was due, in some cases, to
the failure of the proper officers to
make careful reports and in other cases
to the utter lack Of any state organiza-
ton to handle forest fires and the COM
plete absence of any record of them.
1.-THE fire problem is such a funda-
mental one that the service desires to
get as complete a statement as posi-
BILE this coming season, and we feel
that time and money are well spent
for this purpose. The best results
doubtless will be secured by localizing
the work as far as possible and making
a large number of officers and organi-
cations each responsible for reports on
a small territory.
There are now conservation COM
missions in thirty-eight states and ter
ritories. These commissions are anxious
to promote forest conservation in any
way they can, and in the states which
do not contain national forests we will
take up the matter Of a fire record with
them. In national forest states better
results. think. will be secured If the
district foresters gather data from
every possible source and also co-op-
crate with the state conservation COM
mission.
Wants Fire Record
ct therefore shall ask your district to
take the responsibility for the compila-
ton of as complete a record as possible
of all forest fires, both on and off
the national forests in the state of
California during the coming season.
This record should be comparable with
the one made solely for the national
forests, and I suggest that 1t follow
the same lines.
"If possible it should be compiled by
counties. Some assistance undoubted-
ly can be secured from county clerks,
county surveyors, or other county Of
ficers Wherever there are local fire
wardens reports should be secured
from them. 1t viii be well for you 20
work out a definite plan of action with
the conservation commission early in
the season and to ask this commission
to do as much work as 1t can. The i'm
portance of getting the machinery
started for securing the desired infor-
mation before the fire season starts I
&now will be realized by you.
1.-THE California commission is as fol-
pws:
Arthur r. Briggs, San Francisco.
James c. Needham, Modesto.
Frank H. Short, Fresno.
Grove L. johnson, Sacramento.
Lowell White. San Francisco.
william w. Snythe, San Diego.
Francis Cutie, Riverside.
F. @. Story, Los Angeles.
You undoubtedly know many of
these men and there should be no diff
Guilty IN arranging for mutually help
full corporation"