Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-09
FORECASTING FOREST FIRES
TOLD OF BY MIR. HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9-The
f%oreeasting OF forest fires is the
most recent step taken by the
United states Weather Bureau in
its long series OF services to the
public. Beginning with f~orecastinS
storms and warn mariners at sea
and farmers on land, The Bureau
has extended its work SO that now it
gives minute information on frosts
and showers as they are likely to
affect crops. 1t is ~forecaSting WEI
and dry periods. 1t has gone to sea.
and has forecast successfully the
appearance of icebergs in the steam
ship lanes and now has devised a
method for the ~forecasting of forest
fires
The fires which sweep through
American forests annually take a
toll of millions of dollars of wealth
and rot infrequently of human lift.
Not only do they deprive The people
of the growth of years In timber
but by denuding the hillsides they
provoke floods which in their turn
take tribute of life and property.
For years the Department of Ag-
riculture has maintained forest pa
trolls to report forest fires at their
inception and to bring aid in sup
pressing them while they still are
comfortable. The Weather Bureau
now comes forward with an import
ant study on the f~orecasting OF fires,
Needless to say, the Weather Blu
reau can not give any forecast OF
criminal carelessness of campers
and hunters and others who permit
camp fires to spread into the forest
or who fail to put out burning eli
gar and cigarette stubs, nor can II
forecast the ignition of underbrush
by sparks from passing locomotives
What the Bureau can do is give an
astonishingly accurate forecast OF
the fires which will be started by
lightning, a prolific source OF TINS
type of destruction.
The Bureau has just completed
a special survey in cooperation with
the Forest Service of the Depart
ment of Agriculture which shows
that lightning was the u of near
~ half of the forest fires in the ter
ritories studied. To be able to fore
cast so large a proportion of fires
and, thereby be prepared to fight
them would be no short step In hre
control. A study of the incidence
OF forest fires in southern California
shows that lightning was responsible
for 4,363 fires out of a total of TO-
SGT, or Ais per cent. The camper
and smoker caused 2,239 fires or
21.3 per cent and other man-made
fires, including locomotive spark
fires account for the remainder.
Local Storms Not So Serious
With this data in hand the
Weather Bureau proceeded to the
study of the meteorological circum-
stances under which these light
ming fires were started The study
shows that the small, local storms
are not so dangerous as the more
intense and widely dispersed dis
turbances. The local storm max
start a few fires, but, the surround
ing country being free from storm,
RELIEF may be brought In. The storm
of general scope and intensity a.
fects a wide secion of country an !
so many fires are started that some
must be neglected through lack OF
fire fighting forces and these spread
and cause the great, damaging con-
flagrations SO costly in life ano
property.
BY study of a given territory in
| California the Weather Bureau haa
found that certain regions are NOR
likely to be visnted by the sort %
storms that set fires and the IN
tensity of these storms varies will
the seasons Graphic charts have
been made which reveal where tho
danger is greatest and at what sea-
sons With this information in hand
the Forest Service of the Fedora
Government or the state can concen'
trate fire fighting patrols at theg.
sectors during the proper seasons
and, being thus prepared, greatll
minimize the destruction.
The Bureau and the Forest Ser
vice have prepared a map of Cali
fornia which has marked Upon :
what are designated as LIGHTNING
fire zones. They show the zone
where the incidence of forest fire,
set by lightning is 16 per cent ant
over, 10 per CEN and over, 5 pc
cent and over and those relativel,
free of this menace. The study ha
demarcated the full extent of thes
zones, setting north, south. east an
west limits to them. The Burea'
can rot control the lightning an,
keep it within these bounds, but
does say that long and careful OBJ
servation shows that, from som
natural causes, lightning does occu
more often in these territories an
does set fires 1t has even charte
the fire sections BY township:
showing those in which there ar
five fires set bv lightning in a SET.
sop, ten fires. fifteen fires and owe