Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1923-05-05
PREVENTION OF FOREST FIRES
is TIMELY TOPIC
Carelessness Usually Cause OF Dis
astrous Fires In Timbered
Regions.

Another forest fire season is at
hand. From now until snow flies
there will be almost constant danger
of fire on wild land, relieved oc-
casionally 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, en-
courages rapid drying of the surface,
and so prepares the way for more
fires. Where drainage is going on
the swamps are becoming pro-
gressively dryer. No longer can
fires be controlled by heading them
into peat swamps, for there they
may shoulder all season, awaiting
only few dry windy days to climb
out upon the high lands and run
wild.
The utmost that can be done in
education of the public will not pre-
vent all fires; the sources are too
numerous, and the ground cover, at
times too highly inflammable.
Nevertheless public responsibility
devolves upon every user of fire to
use it with caution Forest fires in
the Lake States are man-caused,
with few exceptions. Man-caused
fires represent carelessness, or
ignorance. Most of them are start
ed by people who didn't think it was
so dry, or didn't think the wind
would come up, or didn't think 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
damage 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.
Settlement and land clearing lag far
behind; the great bulk Of burned
area is not Immediately useful for
farming. 1t may be generations be-
fore the poorest land viii return
revenue except from its timber
coYer The protection Of whatever
cover nature has established on the
cutover lands is the first step to-
wards reforestation. The cost is
negligible compared to the cost of
planting young trees from 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,
regardless Of precautions that may
have been taken. When a fire is
discovered the time to put it out is
at once. Anyone can put it out while
il is small, but an army Of fire fight
ers may be helpless after it gains
Roadway. Back fires should be used
only by experienced persons, other
wise they merely increase the
danger.
The State wardens and patrolmen
are relatively few, with large areas
u cover. They cannot find all the
/ fires much less fight them all in
4 person but they can engage fire
fighters and supervise the work.
Every man who discovers a fire
should put it out if he can. If it is
too big for him he should port it al
once to the nearest forest ranger or
patrolman, or town fire warden If
the state is to be made and kept
green, productive and attractive it
mus be through the active help Of
the entire public il cooperation with
the agencies which the state has pro-
yded