Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-16
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN

Washington. D. c., Oct. 15.-Hunt-
ing forest fires from airplanes. which
has proved one of the most effective
methods of reducing the fire loss OF
timber, is about TO be discontinued
after several seasons OF use, because
the Army Air Service will no longer
lend its planes and pilots to the Forest
Service for this purpose. The Aerial
Forest Patrol Is still in existence, but
an order has gone forth for its dis
continuance after this year.
Forest Service men are disappoint-
ed. They say that the Air Service Is
missing a great opportunity to devc-
lop a peacc-tinle use for planes which
viii more than justify maintaining
a large fleet OF them. And the prog
ress of aviation is largely dependent
upon the development Of other than
purely military uses for planes. At
the same time the help Of the planes
in reducing the forest fire damage Ii
most seriously needed. Anything that
will help in the struggle with forest
fires is Invaluable to the whole coun-
try.
For the forest fires. the experts say.
are the uncomfortable factor in the
struggle they arc making TO cstab-
lish a permanent wood supply within
the United States. Most OF tho cen
tinert has already been denudcd OF
timber. and the cost of lumber and
wood products has risen steadily rs
the timber supply has shrunk. Before
1850 most of our timber was cut in
New England. In 1870 the center of
the business had shifted to Pennsyl-
vania. BY 1890 1t was in the Lake
states, where the supply of white
pine was described as inexhaustibie..
BY 1900 this inexhaustible supply had
been 30 far depleted that the country
was looking to tho south for pine
| lumber. and now the south is yielding
precedence to the northwest and
specially to Oregon. In that region is
one-fifth OF ali the standing timber
| left In the United States. An aerial
observer can look over all Of this
fifth of our forest wealth In one day.
FIRES CRUCIAL FACTOR
wasteful cutting. leaving nothing to
| primarily the cause of this condi-
| ton. Better forestry Is now being
practiscd by the great lumber COM
panies. and the Forest Service is caro-
| fully conserving the forests under Its
supervision. so that they will pro-
Even so. the supply is steadily dwind
ling. and fire is largely responsiolc
for this. Che fire loss In 1919 was cs-
timated at over a billion cubic feet OF
| lumber. and while this was high, II
was not a great deal higher than the
|
| whole towns have been wiped out BY
| forest fires, and many persons killed
The actual mature standing timber
which might otherwise be cut, is a
small part of what forest fire de-
stroys. It does its greatest damage ir
areas which have been cut, and are
being ,overgrown with small trees
These small trees. which should form
the lumber supply of fifty years
hence. grow so thickiy that fire, once
well started. RACES thru them as the
dry grass. BY these cut-over fires
the reproduction of our forests over
great areas has been prevented
| Moreover. a ground fire burns up the
soil to such an extent that sometimes
| the area could not be reforcsted ar
tificially. There are great areas IN
this country which are almost denud-
ed Of soil. exposing the rocky skeleton
| of the earth. and supporting nothing
but low brush and a few saplings.
The great value of the airplanc. "a
SO far developed. Is in making prompt
| discovery of forest fires. Everything
depends upon catching them while
thcy are young. The Forest Service
heretofore. has rolled for this upon
lookouu. who communicate w!.h
headquarters by telephone. The look
out is stationed on a high mountain
thruout the forest fire season. When
he secs a column of smoke, he Is able