New Britain herald., 1915-01-08
NATIONAL FOREST
 FIRES LAST YEAR
Were Of Greater Danger Since National Forests WtreEStabIiShcd.

The season of 1914, according to the officials of the forest service, gar licd greater danger from fire to the national forests than any year snce the establishment of the national : forests. To meet this emergency and to prevent great loss Of public prop crty, the department of agriculture was obliged to exceed the amount appropriated for fire protection anu incur a deficiency of $349,243. The conditions of droutn and other factors of forest fire hazard were said to be worse than in 1910, when the dis astrous Idaho fires occurred.
 Weather bureau reports show that in most of the Rocky mountain and Pacific coast region last winters snows 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 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 tue end of November. A long dry seq son, sustained periods of high tenn perature, recurring hard and steady winds and, in certain places un- usually hot, dry nights. rendered the forests exceedingly intlammable and the problem of fire prevention un- usually difficult.
 Over 6,OOO 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 or ganizatio of the forest service were 6.112, or about 1000 more than oc- cured in 1910. This number repre- sents the fires reported up to Deccm Der 1. At that time reports indlcat- ed 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 were in creased by fires in these regions dur ing December
 The most serious conditions are re- ported from western Montana and northern Idaho and on the Pacific slope. The weather conditions in the central and southern Rocky noun tain regions were more nearly normal yAs consequence only fifteen per cent. of the total number of all na- tional forest fires occurred in these regions and they were handled with out difficulty and with very small loss of property.
 Of the entire 6,112 fires which threatened the national forests, eighty-one per cent. were extinguished by the protective organization before they had covered ten acres. The per centage of fires that burned over more than ten acres was smaller than in any previous year.
 While detailed reports have rot yet been received appraising the OK act loss to the government through the forest fires, preliminary esti- mate shows the loss of merchantable timber will propably not exceed $40o,- 00O In 1910 the corresponding csti- mate of loss was nearly $15, 1000, 900, but later estimate materially reduced the amount. Through the work of the protective force the fires this year were largely confined to old burns sand to less heavily tinbered areas. -The loss to the government through IHC ucSll OI young LIScS W lllttl had sprung up in these openings is larger than the actual loss to green timber.
 Region of Greatest Danger.
 In Montana and Idaho alone, 1t is said that the value of specific bodies of timber which were threatened by the approximately 2,000 fires which started and were put out, aggregated the enormous sum of over $59,00r, 900. It was in this section that the largest amount of money had to be spent to prevent a recurrence of the great disaster of 1910. Tn Oregon and Washington, the 1,200 fires which were handled by the department, shreatened upwards of $24, 100000 worth of timber, and these figures, ac~ cording to the department experts, do not include the value of non-mer- chantable timber and young growth on about 5,OOO,OOO acres of land, and several million dollars worth of ranch and other private property which lay In the path of the threatening con-