The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-04-27
FOREST FIRES INCREASE
BUT DAMAGE IS LESSENED
Forester F. w. Besley Calls Par
adox Due to Efficient Fighting
Methods in Recent Years
RECORD is SET IN 1882

A tendency toward a greater num-
Der of forest fires in the State, but
marked decrease in the average
amount of acreage destroyed, is noted
in the annual report of the State De-
partment of Forestry for the fiscal
years 1881 and 1882, issued by F. W.
Besley, State Forester.
This apparent paradox is explained
by the increased efficiency in methods
of extinguishing fires, while the great
er numoer of fires is due, the report
points out, to q corresponding in
crease in fire hazards.
All-Time Record Set
"The average acreage burned per
fire in 1881 reached a new low figures,
only to be eclipsed by an all-time rec
ord Of thirteen acres per fire in 1882"
In 1892, for example, an average of
1913 acres were burned per fire, and
in 1926 ITO acres were burned. In
1881 the figure dropped to 26 acres.
A Statewide increase in incendiary
fires has been apparent in recent
years, the report states. For the last
three years fires traceable to this
cause have amounted successfully to
seventeen percent, fifteen percent and
twenty percent. Increases in incen-
diary fires were particularly noted in
Garrett and Allegany counties. In
many cases the motives are unknown,
due, it is said to the difficulty eXper-
fenced in catching those responsible.
Smoking Toll Heavy
Smoking continues to be the lead
ing cause of forest fires, comprising
forty percent and fifty percent Of the
total number of forest fires in 1881
and 1882 Brush burning is second in
importance with twenty-siX percent
and twenty-five percent, respectively,
for the two years"
Wild huckleberry pickers in their
mountain Businesses near Frederick,
who persist in setting the woods on
fire in order to improve the wild buck
leberry crop, still are proving thorn
in the side of those trying to preserve
the forests of that area.
The city of Frederick is trying to
protect the municipal water supply
and develop a commercial forest on its
watershed, but it appears that almost
as fast as the city, with the coopera-
ton of the State Department of For
estry, builds up the woods, the wild
huckleberry pickers burn them down.
City Owns Property
The problem, the report sets forth,
has existed for number of years and
is aggravated by the fact that much
of the land burned over by the "moun-
tain people" belongs to the city of
Frederick.
Efforts have been made by the city
and State agencies to educate the
mountaineers as to the Importance of
saving the 5000 acres on the head
waters of Fishing and Hunting creeks,
but it was pointed out that after list
ening to the lectures, reading the lit
erature and seeing the motion pic
lures provided by these agencies, the
wild huckleberry pickers go back
home and continue to improve the
berry crop in their own primitive
way.
Forestry work in general "shows a
very good progress for the past two
years." the report states, ''notwith-
standing the adverse conditions which
prevailed during this period"
The domain of the State forests was
more than doubled during the period.
More than $4,000 acres were purchas-
ed, bringing the total acreage owned
to 48,947 acres.
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