Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1914-12-31
NATIONAL FOREST FIRES IN
1914.

AL FOhEIISI INFO
1914.
The season of 1914, according to the
officials of the forest service, carried
greater danger from fire to the ma
tional forests than any year since the
establishment of the national forests.
To meet this emergency and to pre-
vent great loss of public property, the
department of agriculture was oblig-
ed to exceed the amount appropriated
for fire protection and incur a de-
ficiency of $349,24 The conditions of
drouth and other factors Of forest fire
hazard were said to be worse than in
1910, when the disastrous Idaho fires
occurred.
Weather bureau reports show that
in most of the Rocky mountain and
Pacific coast region last winters
SHOWS were much below the normal,
and as a result there was an early
spring and an early drying out of
the forests. In western Montana and
northern Idaho there were forest fires
in considerable numbers by the end
of May and they continued until Oc-
tober. In California, where there is
normally a very long season of
drouth, the fire season started in some
portions five weeks earlier than usual,
and in the southern part of the state
the fire danger was still great at the
end of November. A long dry season,
sustained periods of high temperature,
recurring hard and steady winds, and,
IN certain places, unusually hot, dry
nights, rendered the forests exceed
ingly inflammable and the problem of
fire prevention unusually difficult.
More Than Six Thousand Fires.
The total number of fires during the
season of 1914 which threatened the
national forests and which had to be
handled by the protective organization
of the forest service were CLIP, or
about 1000 more than occurred in
1910. This number represents the
fires reported up to December /. At
that time reports indicated that there
was still a dangerous condition in
southern California and in certain
portions of the national forests of the
east. The service says that the total
for the year will be increased by fires
in these regions during December.
The most serious conditions are re-
ported from western Montana and
northern Idaho and on the Pacific
slope. The weather conditions in the
IL D1clx, totv
regions were more easily normal. AS
consequence only Is per cent of the
total number of all national forest
fires occurred in these regions and
they were handled without difficulty
and with very small loss Of property.
Of the entire 6.112 fires which
threatened the national forests, 81
per cent were extinguished by the
protective organization before they
had covered 10 acres. The percentage
of fires that burned over more than
10 acres was smaller than in any
previous year.
While detailed reports have not yet
been received appraising the exact
loss to the government through the
forest fires, a preliminary estimate
shows that the loss of merchantable
timber will probably not exceed
| 100000. In 1910 the corresponding
| estimate of loss was nearly $l5,000,-
900, but later estimates materially re-
duced the amount. Through the work
of the protective force the fires this
year were largely confined to old
burns and to less heavily timbered
areas. The loss to the government
through the destruction of young
trees which had sprung up in these
openings is larger than the actual loss
to green timber.
Region of Greater Danger.
In Montana and Idaho alone, it is
said that the value of specific bodies
of timber which were threatened by
the approximately 1000 fires which
started and were put out, aggregated
the enormous sum Of over SIS, 900, 900.
1t was in this section that the largest
amount of money had to be spent to
prevent a recurrence of the great dis
aster of 1910. In Oregon and Wash
ington, the 1900 fires which were
handled by the department threatened
upwards of $24,000,000 worth of tim
Der. And these figures, according to
the department experts, do not include
the value of non-merchantable timber
and young growth on about 100000
acres of land, and several million dol
lars worth of ranch and other private
property which lay in the path of the
threatening confagration. Figures are
not yet gathered of the precise amount
of damage threatened by fires in
California and other national forest
states, though they are expected to
add large amounts to the total value
of the property threatened and saved.
| g.