Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-04-26
Prevention Of Forest
Fires is Timely Topic
cARELEssNESS USUALLY CAUSE
OF DISASTROUS FIRES IN
TlMBERED REGIONS

Another forest fire season it at hand
From now until snow flies there will
| be almost constant danger of fire on
wild land, relieved occasionally by
rain, and aggravated periodically by
dry weather and high wind. In some
respects the fire danger is increasing.
More settlers are clearing lands; more
summer visitors speed along the roads
or camp in out-of-the-Way places. The
area of cut-over and burned-over land
increases fast, and each cutting or
burning removes moisture holding
vegetation, encourages rapid drying of
the surface, and so prepares the way
for more fires. Where drainage is go
ing on the swamps are becoming pro-
gressiyely dryer. Ne longer car fires
be controlled by heading them into
peat swamps, for there they may
shoulder all season. awaiting only a
fewEdry windy days to climb out upon
the high lands and run wild
The utmost that can be done in edu-
cation of the public will not prevent
all fires; the sources are too numer-
Gus, and the ground cover, at times
too highly inflammable. Nevertheless
q public responsibility devolves upon
every user of fire. to use it with eau
ton. Forest fires in the Lake States
are man-caused, with few exceptions.
Man-caused fires represent careless
ness, or ignorance. Most of them are
started by people who didn't think it
was SO dry, or didn't think the wind
would come up, or didn't think a fire
could escape from a comparatively
safe place It's the old story didn't
know it was loaded Some fires are
put out" and they get away, to dam
age and endanger innocent neighbors.
Forest fires mean an appalling loss
of second growth timber, and in the
end bankruptcy for the land which
cannot be put to productive use. Settle
ment and land clearing lag far behind !;
the great bulk of burned area is not
Immediately useful for farming. 1t
may be generations before the poor
est land will return a revenue except
from its timber. cover. The protection
of whatever cover nature has establish
ed on the cutover lands is the first
step towards reforestation. The cost
is negligible compared to the cost of
planting young trees from a nursery.
Aside from the production of timber
/ people want the highways kept green
the lake shores attractive and the
game cover preserved.
The only safe fire is one that is out
It isn't out unless it stays out, regard
less of precautions that may have
been taken. When a fire is discovered
the time to put it out is at once. Any
one can put it out while it is small,
but an army Of fire fighters may be
helpless after it gains Roadway. Back
fires should be used only by experienc
| ed persons, otherwise they merely in
crease the danger.
The State wardens and patrolmen
are relatively few, with large areas to
cover. They cannot find all the fires
much less fight them all in person but
they can engage fire fighters and sup.
ervise the work. Every man who dis
covers a fire should put out if he
can. If it is too big for him he should
report it at once to the nearest forest
ranger or patrolman, or town fire wal
den. If the state is to be made and
kept green productive and attractive
it must be through the active help Of
the entire public in cooperation with
the agencies which the state has pro
vided,