Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1914-12-26
=! YAK WAS
DANGEROUS ONE
'1'.s"c,'y -ry Season Made Danger
f~o"H Free Crcat IN Every
Fcr.st.

-'' j IL ',tCat ~ =
Forest.
TIE (, GgCn OG 13i4. acc2rG,:~ {:
re officials c. the forc@t service
:rr!ed grCater danger Com lie i
ne national forests than amy year
i.nce the establishment OF the national
Forests. To meet this emergency
nd to prevent great loss Of public
> riy. IL" d""~ "t:n"~t &c a~ri"u,-
j. E. l.. u1ceat the
- u!4t appropriated io- fire pcoteu-
e.. AM incur deficiency Of s349,-|
.i3. The conditions Of drouth and
'tE@c factors OF forest fire hc;ar:lI
"ere said to be worse than in 1910
when the disastrous Idaho fire oc-|
cured
Weather bureau reports snow that
= nest cf ;he Rocky Mountain and
=. ifsc east region last winters
...: ?"rc .r?nch below tho normal,
- !. t'"c:lt tore was an carly
'":!nE and Oh early drying out Of the
'nrests. In western Montana and
:'n"rn ''"ho t'r""C wero forest fires
" considerable nuGr b"rs b. the end
If May and they continued until O.
.cbe:. In California. where there is
normally u very long season Of drOuth
the fire season started in some por-
tons five weeks earlier than usual,
Nd in tho southern part OF the state
nc fire d. ger was still great at the
end Of Move nber. A long dry season,
'7:ain" ! "riods OF high tempera-
lure, recurring hard and steady winds
and IN c~rtain places, unusually hot,
"r" rights. rendered tho forests ex-
c:sod:n"'r ;nharlrn" biz and tho nrob-
!"1a nf Gre prevention unusually diff
f1cult
The total number of fires during
the season Of 1914 which threatened
he national forests and which had
20 be handled by the protective or
"anizatiOn Of the f~rest service were
E.112. or about 1000 more than occur
red in 1910. This number represents
tie fires reported up to December 1.
At that time reports indicated that
there was still dangerous condi-
ton in southern California and in
certain portions Of the national for
"Tts Hf the cast. The service saws
r the total for the year will be in
easod by fires in these regions dur
ing December
The most serious conditions are
reported from western Montana and
northern Idaho and on the Pacific
slope. The weather conditions in
the central aud southern Rocky
mountain regions were more nearly
normal. AS a consequence only IS
per cent Of the total number of all
national forest fires occurred in those
regions and they were handled with
out difficulty and with very small
icss Of property
OF the entire SIP fires which
threatened the national forests, 81
per cent were oXtinguished by the
protective organization before they
had covered 10 acres. The percent
sge cf fires that burned over more
than 10 acres was smaller than in
1pv previous year
While detailed reports have not
vet been received appraising the ex-
act loss to the government through
TIE forest fires, preliminary esti-
mate shows that the loss of merchan-
table timber will probably not ex-
cee1 100000. In 1910 the CORE
spending estimate Of loss was nearly
100000, but later estimates ma
terlally reduced the amount. Through
the work of the protective force the
fires this year were largely confined
tC I'D hirDs and to less heavily tim
! G.,"1 areas The loss to the govern
-" 80 ''-.:'.l tho 7~ctrrotiHn oP
:. -" :rf,- ~ !, 80 c,-",r~ IN in
these openings is 'argor than the
actual loss to green timber.
TT Montana and T!Gh~ alone. if is
u 1,~f =,