The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-10-30
FOREST FIRES
BAD IN 1880
Fifty-two Million Acres Burned
by Forest Fires in United
States In 1880.

Forest Fires in the United States
last year swept over a total of more
than So million acres-an area greater
that the States of Ohio and Indiana
misunderstanding to the annual
summary of fire stastics made public
recently by the Forest Service, United
States Department of Agriculture.
Organized protection strinkingly
proved its effectiveness in keeping
down forest fire losses, according to the
Forest Service figures. For every acre
of protected land burned over, ap-
proximately eight acres of unprotected
land were swept by fire, although only
one-third of the fores tland of the
country is now without some form of
organized protection.
The total area of protected land
burned over during the year was
5,809,230 acres, but 46,457,140 acres of
unprotected land suffered from fire.
OF the protected forests the area
burned was less than 1k per cent.
I'm the Continental United States,
607, 920,930 acres of land are listed as
needing fire protection. OF this total
area 399, 141, $40 acres are receiving some
degree of organized protection, although
much of it is inadequate as yet.
The fire summary, compiled by the
United States Forest Service from data
furnished by cooperating States and
National Forest Supervisors, showede
10000 forest fires in the United States
during the year 1880. Of these, 70,832
occurred on protected lands and 1904
ON unprotected areas. Figures for un-
protected areas are necessarily inexact.
Careless smokers were responsible
for more fires and greater losses than
any other cause. On protected areas,
for which reports are moore complete,
smokers caused 1850 forest fires, or
more than 20 per cent of all the fires
reported. In the last five years, de-
liberate woods burning and incendiar-
ism has been responsible for II per
cent of the fires; careless or uncon-
trolled debris burning caused 1871 per
cent; lightning caused 91a per cent;
railroads 9 per cent; campers almost
per cent; little less than per cent
were traced to numbering operations;
miscellaneous causes accounted for 8
per cent; and the causes of the re-
naming fires could not be traced.
Damage caused by forest fires in
the United States last year reached an
estimated total of $65, 968, $50, not in
Guiding damage to young growth, wild
life, watershed values, and other in
tangible values which could not be
measured in dollars and cents OF the
total damage $14,957 28O occurred on
protected lands. On unprotected lands,
it is estimated that the damage was
$51, 371 ,O7O.
ut is estimated that nearly 4 per
cent of the forest land in protected
areas burned over last year will not
restock itself naturally with satisfac-
tory tree growth.
1.-The 100 million acres of National
Forest land in the United States are
protected from fire by the Federal For
est Service organization. Under agree
ments between private owners and the
States, with the cooperation of the
Federal Government, protection of
gradually being extended to keep down
fire losses. Last year about BIZ million
acres were added to the total area under
organized protection