Connecticut western news., 1910-03-31
WOODLAND AND
 BRUSH FIRES
IN CONNECTICUT IN YEAR 1909

Issued, Shows That There Were
 336 Such Fires Last Year, and the
 Estimated Damage Was $27,000.
 The forest fire problem needs the at- tention of every citizen of Connecticut, for forest fires not only cause a loss to property owners at the present time, but will prove an adverse factor in the future prosperity of the state. Repeated burn ings of forest lands absolutely prevent the possibility of securing a natural growth of valuable timber. Even in the country towns, the importance of protecting the forest from fire is not sufficiently appreciated; the average city man gives it little consideration. In fact, large number of our forest fires are undoubtedly due to the carelessness of hunters, fishermen, picknickers and towns.
 The fire damage for 1909, estimated at $27, ,000, is property loss which falls directly on the owners, but the decrease in value of the property affected is Q loss to the State which is shared by all taxpayers. In addition to the direct loss due to the burning of mer ;han,able timber and other property, therJ is an inestimable damag9 done t0 rapidly growing timber, its growth being checked, and it's future value greatly lowered even though it may not bs com pletely destroyed. This, together with impoverishment of the soil due to re- peated burning, results in rapid dAteriOr. ation of our woodlands witt ubuS'- quently decreasing property vala's. This statement IS born out by thousAlds of acres throughout the state which have produced much fine timber ill the past but at present are practically worthless brush lands, and will remain so unless successfully protected from fire. Not only have such areas little taxable value, but because of their unsightliness, lower the value of surrounding lands for sum- mer homes. s
 If the forest fire problem concerns all citizens of the state, the conclusion IS plain that cooperation is the only solu- tioh of this problem. A long step in this direction has been taken by the es- tablishment of a Fire Warden Service for the control of forest fires in the State. The Town Fire Wardens and their Dis trict Wardens aim to prevent fires by posting warning notices, and by enforc- ing the laws which impose penalties on any persons starting wild fires, In case fires occur, they take charge of the fight ing. and make every effort to restrict damage. The cost of fighting fires is paid by the towns in which they occur, although one-half such outlay is later paid back to the town by the State and County. Fighting forest fires is the business of the wardens in each town, and the people of the towns should not only know who their wardens are, but if fires occur begin the work and report the fires to them immediately If the efficiency or methods of any warden are questioned, a statement should be pre-. pared and sent to the State Fire Warden at once, that he may investigate.
 Reports for 1909 from 94 per cent. of the towns in the State show the follow. ing totals: 336 fires burned over 15.OOO acres, with an estimated damage of $27,. 900. The expense of fighting these fires was approximately $3 ,500, of which the towns paid one-half. Six per cent. ot the towns did not report at all, and it is probable that many other fires occurred which were unreported. The reports ot damage done were also very low since the loss to future growth and the fina crop is difficult to estimate, although very great The damage was probably at least third greater than reported, { total of $36,00O Many of the fires through the efforts of wardens, were confined to small areas, and it is eviden that the loss would have been mucf greater if there had been no organized effort to control and prevent fires.
 Of the 336 fires reported, no knowr cause for nearly one-half, or 159 wa given. In many cases it is difficult tt determine with certainty how the firt started, especially as the warden s atten tion is necessarily directed to putting out fire in it's earlier stages if possible Ninety-four fires were attri ibuted tc sparks from locomotives, and eighty three to carelessness of hunters, cam CTS, brush-burners, etc. Doubtless ther, were many unreported railroad fires which were put out by section hands ant wardens before much damage was done The fact remains that the railroads arr responsible for an unnecess arily larg q n