The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-12-30
FOREST FIRES in STATE
SET RECORD In YEAR 1926
Incendiarism Laid To Effort To
Increase Huckleberry Crop In
Frederick County.

More forest fires, with greater dam
age and devastated area, were report
ed in Maryland in 1926 than in any
year on record, according to F. W..
| Besley State Forester.
Since January l, 1926, 51S fires,
! covering an area of 5S,739 acres,
have been reported. The loss, Accord
ing to estimates of farest wardens,
was S46S, 990.65. In 1925, a record
year to that date, 34,061 acres were
burned over and the loss was $780,
! 74S.30.
| The extent of each fire has been in
creased from an average of seventy
eight acres in 1925 to an average of
Ill acres in 1926. Since 1924 the
number Of fires has almost doubled,
and the acreage burned over has in
creased more than 100 per cent.
Fires reported in. 1926, Mr.. Besley
asserted, possibly were rs per cent of
the total number in Maryland for the
year. The State Forestry Depart
ment is strengthening its organization
gradually, but virtually it is impos-
sible to get a report on every small
fire that occurs, he declared.
Because of the drought in April,
disastrous forest fires occurred in
Anne Arundel, Prince Georges and
Charles counties, wiping out more
than 5000 acres of forest and causing
extensive damage. Mr.. Besley said.
The damage in Prince Georges county
amounted to S195, 1880 while Anne
Arundel county suffered a loss of
s10S,655.50. The fires in these two
counties lasted for three days-April
21-23.
! Eighty-One Fires In Allegany.
There were eighty-one fires in Ale
gany county These burned over
( 14,128 acres and caused $50, 73O.5O
loss. Last spring sos fires burned
over $3.50 acres and caused $685.
1856 loss. Favorable weather con-
ditions limited the fires in the fall
to thirteen, with loss of 1922.
In Frederick county an outbreak of
incendiarism was responsible for
eighteen Of the thirty-four fires re-
ported in that county These incen-
diary fires occurred five days last
May. A reward of 81, 800 was author
lied by the county and the city of
Frederick for the arrest and con
viction of the offenders. According
to John R. Curry, Assistant State
Forester, an effort to produce good
crop of huckleberries for 1927 was re-
sponsible for the incendiarism.
Mr.. Curry explained that buckle
berries thrive in burned woodlands
and that many persons in Frederick
county practically depend on the huck-
leberry crop for living. By setting
! fire to forest a good crop of buck
leberries is promised in the burned
area a year hence, Mr.. Curry asserted
Caused By Burning Brush.
According to records of the For
estry Department, burning of brush
was responsible for more forest fires
than any other cause. One hundred
and twenty-eight fires resulted from
burning brush, fifty-three from rail
roads, sixty were incendiary, six were
traced to logging industry, fifty-five
to campers, smokers and hunters
twenty five fires were started from
miscellaneous causes and one hundred
and siXty-siX were of unknown origin
Sixteen false alarms were sounded
according to records.
With an annual appropriation OF
$4,000 to fight fires, approximately
$4,000 was spent by the Forestry De-
partment and counties in which the
fires occurred. Each county pays
half of the fre-fghting expense, il
was explained. The expense of fire.
fighting this year has caused the ap-
preparation for the fiscal year of 1927
to be spent, Mr.. Besley said.
In the budget of the Forestry De.
partment for 1928 Mr.. Besley asked
for an emergency fund of $4,000 tc
fight fires whenever a severe out
break threatens. Mr.. Besley plans tt
divide the State into five districts II
1928, each district to be superintendent
by forest warden. A new forest
tower in Western Maryland is to bt
erected and telephone connections es
tablished with the eleven towers now
in service. Educational work, design
ed to caution persons about forest
fires, also will be carried on, Mr.
Besley said.
HANSON r LEWIS