The Ely miner., 1930-02-21
MUCH DAMAGE BY
FOREST F|RES--192
REPORT OF ASSISTANT STATE
FORESTER SHOWS A TOTAL OF
380,159 ACRES BURNED OVER IN
1929-2392 INDIVIDUAL FIRES.

: Forest fires caused $290,052 loss ir
Minnesota during 1929, according to q
report compiled by A. E. Pimley, assist
ant state freSter, in charge of fire pre-
vention. A total of 380,159 acres OF
land was burned over by 1892 indivi-
| dual fires, the report shows.
Damage exceeded by far that done by
blazes in 1928, when 125,O00 acres were
burned over. Last years fires also ex-
ceeded the five-year average, ending
1928, which is 250,229 acres.
Dry weather resulted in unfavorable
conditions in 1929,' causing disastrous
fires from the early part of the sum-
mer until late in the season, when the
blaZeS developed in the Brule district,
and the Warroad Baudette area.
Fires nearly doubled in number, COM
pared with the five year average, which
stands at 1928. There were 1871 fires
in 1928, when the damage was estimated
at $76,360.
There was decrease, however in the
average damage per acre last year, ac-
cording to MIR. Pimley. There had
been steady decrease since 1919. The
five year average from that year on
was $2.98, while the five year average
from 1924 to 1923 was $l.78. For last
year the average damage per acre was
placed at $1.31.
This reduction was made possible,
Mr.. Pimley said, by the modernization
OF forest fire fighting methods and
equipment. These enable fire fighters
to get at forest fires earlier than pre-
viouSly and to prevent their rapid
spread.
Despite the increase in the fire haz-
ard in 1929, patrolmen and rangers were
able to reduce the loss because of
better organization, which enabled
them to concentrate on fires which
seemed most dangerous.
A total of 160,664 acres were burned
over in the Baudette district in the
worst fire of the year, Mr.. Pimley
said. In the Warroad ranger district,
83,046 acres were swept by flames
The damage in the Baudette fire was
placed at $78,116 while in the other
fire the damage was $64,508.
Land clearing caused AT fires, the
largest number of blazes from any
single cause. These fires burned over
206,503 acres, more than half of the
affected area Railroads were said in
the report to have caused $50 fires,
smokers were responsible for 343, and
meadow burning for 243, while 26l re-
suited from unknown causes.
A large number of the fires were
confined to an area of from a quarter
of an acre to 10 acres, the total of
such fires being 823 Confined to a
territory of less than a quarter of an
acre were $50 fires, while 302 fires
burned in areas from 100 to 1000
acres
Merchantable timber suffered $3.50
damage, and cut products destroyed
were valued at $9,191. Reproduction
stands of young timber bore the brunt
of the fires, although fighters devoted
a great deal of their attention to these
stands. The damage to reproduction
stands was placed at $97,353 These
stands were established in an effort to
place Minnesota among the forest
states.
For fire fighting labor and supplies
the state expended total of $82,247.19.
There were II ,248 men on the payroll,
who worked together with 6,983 VOL
unteer fire fighters It was estimated
that the volunteers gave services worth
$24,203 There were also 1860 unpaid
township fire wardens, and % paid
wardens.