Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-10-06
FIRES
NOW ARE RAGING
AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BE.
GINNING TO EXHIBIT MUCH
CONCERN.
LOSSES LAST YEAR AGGREGATED
SOMETHING LIKE
100000, 900.

Washington, Sept. 30.-Forest fires
are causing considerable damage in
many parts of the country. 1t will be
several months before the total de-
struction is known, for the fire sea
son has considerable time to run. In
figuring out this years losses it will
be natural to make comparison with
losses for last year which, according
to Treadwel Cleveland, Jr., in the
year book of the department of agri-
culture, viii cause 1908 TO be .ocg
remembered.
"A dry season, combined with what
seemed to be even more than the usu-
al Indifference toward small fires
which might easily have been extin.
guished at the start says Mr. Cleve-
land, caused destructive confagra-
tions in practically every state, with
losses aggregating $100,000,000. In
comparison with the havoc wrought
e elsewhere, the damage done to nation
al forests was exceedingly slight. Had
fires ragged within the forests as they
did outside, they would have destroyed
timber worth $30,0O0,O 00-enough to
run the forest service for six years.
Moreover, it is practically certain thai
most if not all of the damage which
was done might have been prevented
had the forests been fully manned"
The estimates of loss made by the
service on national forests are partic-
ularIy searching, and take full account
of the injury done to young growth.
Commonly, estimates of loss from for
est fires are based upon the damage
done to standing timber and to prop
erty, they do not reckon the usually
far greater loss in injury or destruc-
tion of young growing stock" The
methods by which the government
keeps down the fire losses on the
national forests include:
/. Systematic patrol by picked
forces of rangers and guards.
2. Construction of roads, trails, and
telephone lines, which facilitate the
massing of large fre-fighting forces.
3. Construction of fire lines which,
in some instances, check the spread
of fire without human help.
L. Equipment Of the forests with
fire-fighting tools and other supplies
necessary in fighting fires. The sup
plies of tools are kept at convenient
points at all times, in order to have
them easily accessible to forest Off.
GERS, in case fires break out
5. Cooperation with railroads, tim
berland owners, and settlers in fire
protection, in this way making it pos
sible to protect both the lands of the
companies and the forest service at a
much smaller cost to the government
than would be the case were the ma
tional forest lands alone protected by
the local officers.
Just as The practice of forestry isl
important in the movement for the
conservation OF all natural resources,
so is the protection OF the forestsj
from fires important in the further
ance of rational forest work. In fact,
forestry in many instances means
no hing more than conservative lum-l
bering and the prevention Of forest
fires. Uncle Sam realizes that only.
through the wisc use and care Of thel
forests will it be possible to make
natural timherland permanently pro
duetfve. The prac ice Of forestry does
not mean abbreviating the use OF the
land. Instead, conservative lumber
ing and protection OF the young
grow h from FIRE will bring about a
steadily increasing use, for with calt-i
vation and care the yield Of the for
est increases and the product i'm
proves in the same way that the value
OF the farm increases under a proper
system Of management.