The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-09-01
FOREST FIRES IN 1888

SIX months OF 1888 are complete, 1t
is interesting to review the spring
fire record. Maryland enjoyed
very favorable spring fire season
with unusually timely rainfall oc-
curing late in March and during
most of April. This was particular
ly helpful inasmuch as April is US
ually the most severe fire month in
any year. The Weather bureau re-
ports that this April was the first
wet April since 1929 which is sub
stantiated by the high fire losses for
April 1880, 1881 and 1882. The
month of May was also wet with a
relative humidity 10 per cent above
normal. The rainfall for March,
April and May was 4.74 inches above
normal
1t is, therefore, not surprising to
find that Maryland experienced few
er forest fires this spring than have
occurred in any spring season since
1929. There were AGA fires report
ed which is very encouraging COM
pared with the S73 fires reported in
the spring of 1892 and the S44 fires
in the spring of 1881. However,
the most impressive feature of the
record lies in the fact that only A.
1872 acres of Woodland were fire
damaged, which is the best record
since the spring Of 1927, when only
2,241 acres were blackened. The
low acreage loss for the spring sea-
sons of 1927 and 1888 is emphasized
by the fact that 25,778 acres and 49,
921 acres burned in the spring sea-
sons on 1881 and 1882, respectively.
A comparative study of the spring
records for 1927 and 1888 shows a
distinct increase in fire fighting eff
cheney as the average acreage burn
ed by AGA fires in 1888 was slightly
over 10 acres per fire, while in the
spring of 1927 an average of IT
acres per fire was burned by 1876
fires. More prompt report of fires
by additional lookout towers and
better fire fighting methods enabled
this reduction in acreage per fire.
| Anne Arundel County leads all
other counties with 107 fires follow
ed by Prince Georges County with
95 fires. Calvert and Queen Anne
counties came through the season
with no forest fires, while Talbot
county had only two and there were
only three each in Carroll and Kent
Counties. District II, the Western
Shore, consisting of ten counties, led
in the number of fires with a total
of 307 fires. The Western Maryland
| District reported rs fires and the
Eastern Shore, 80. The Western
Shore suffered the greatest loss in
acreage, total of 2,141 acres. L.
$50 burned on the Eastern Shore
and only 1901 acres in Western
Maryland, an especially good record
as the loss in Western Maryland is
usually greater than in the other
districts
The Western Shore District again
held up it's good suppression record
with an average acreage per ire of
acres, followed by the Eastern Shore
with an average of IA acres, with
Western Maryland trailing the list
with an 1 8 acre average normal
fall fire season will probably enable
Maryland to again hang up new
State record for efficiency in forest
fire control. The estimated damage
has been placed at $11,53O, for the
spring season which is lower than
in any year during the past ten
years. The cost of fire control has
amounted to only $2,670, which is
especially fortunate in view of the
curtailed funds for public projects.
The close cooperation of Maryland's
loyal forest wardens has made this
economy genuine contribution to-
wards lowered governmental ex-
pense.-State Forestry News Letter