The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-08-05
CONFERENCE TO BE HELD ON FOREST
 FIRE PREVENTION

The State Forester has sent out an invitation to a large number of wood land owners and others interested to attend forest fire conference at the State Capitol on August 10. The purpose of this meeting is to bring out suggestions for the Improvement of the fire prevention organization. The past spring was one of the worst fire seasons since records have been kept. It was due to a com bination of circumstances. In the first place when the ground was ex- tremely dry there were several days. especially the last of April, when there was an unusually strong wind. Throughout the Connecticut wood lands there was a large number of chestnut trees which had been killed during recent years by the bark dis ease. Most of the trees were still standing since they were too small to make ties, and were in a condi- tion to burn readily, Fire was easily carried by strong wind into the tops top to another. There were cases | where sparks were carried across state highways, rivers and even reser- | far distant from where the men were fighting. Another factor which add ed to the heat of the fires this year | in some sections, especially on the
 higher hills. was the large number of limbs and tree tops on the ground as the result of the ice storm last winter.
 l. MT. Hawes states that there were | 1,O02 fires during the three months of March. April and May, whereas there
 were only 6S9 fires in the whole of last year. Seventy-nine thousand acres, mostly of woodland, were burned over. In fact nearly five per cent. of all the | woodland of the state was burned some of it very severely. It is these
 disastrous, although infrequent, fire seasons which makes it impracticable for insurance companies to insure standing timber. The total loss from 1 these fires is conservative1y estimated at half a million dollars, and with the | exception of 8 small part represented | by buildings and manufactured 1um- Der, this is net loss to the owners. l It is the aim of the State Forester to l make timber property sufficiently safe so that it may eventually be insured at a fair rate, and the purpose of the looming meeting is to discuss methods l of improving the efficiency of the fire prevention organization both by Legislation and otherwise. Woodland | owners who are especially interested in this problem are invited to attend and make suggestions.
 The discussion will be on the fol- lowing general topics: Means of De- lcreasing the Fire Menace; Reaching Fires Immediately; Methods of Fight
 
 ment.
 It was noticeable that some of the worst and most destructive fires of the season occurred on areas which had | recently been cut clean public nuisance had been virtually created by the slash, for fires once under jheadway in such a situation could not be stopped at the boundary of the lot and damaged many other owners. | The most expensive fire of the sea- son, which cost the state and New Ha- ven county S674 to extinguish gained lheadway in this way on large area recently cut over by one of the brass companies Whether large forest forest areas are to be destroyed in this way and conditions suitable for future fires created is a matter for the people of the state to decide. Much can be done through state appropriations in the purchase or additional fighting equipment, but 1t lis practically impossible to prevent these destructive fires so long as large areas of dry slash are created As everyone knows, fires burn very slow lily through well managed forests from
 which the deadwood has been removed of clean forest would doubtless do much to eliminate these disastrous
 fires.
 The enforcement of existing laws
 will also be discussed at the meeting.
 Thirty-three convictions were secured
 during the past season, but in most
 cases the fines imposed by the justices
 were only S5 or $10. In view or the destruction of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property these
 fines are insignificant. Until the Ju-
 dicial branch of the state government
 appreciates the seriousness of these
 fires, and the impossibility of building up good forests as long as they oc-
 cur, it will be difficult to prevent them.
 Indications are that the proposed
 meeting will bring out some interest . ling discussion and will be well worth Iattending.