The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-08-31
SPRING FIRES IN 1884
state Forestry News Letter

The forest fire records for the
first six months of 1894 are now
complete and it is therefore inter-
esting to review the spring fire rec
ord. Due to heavy SHOWS in Feb
ruary and an unusually wet March,
spring fires did not become numer-
GUS until April. Because of this de-
lay in the opening of the spring fire
season, Maryland enjoyed fire condi-
lions during the first half of the
year which averaged slightly better
than during the normal year. How
ever, the woods dried out rapidly
during April and rainfall averaged
only three-fourths of normal, result
ing in an appreciable moisture de-
ficiency by the beginning of May.
Heavy rains on May 2, 8, 4, Ia and
Is relieved conditions in the costal
and Piedmont sections Of Maryland,
but the April deficiency developed
into a genuine drought during May
in the mountainous section of the
State, when fires became very nu-
merous and threatening. This per-
iod would have proven very disas-
trous had not adequate manpower
been available at the seven civilian
conservation camps in that section
of the State. The rainfall for April
was .02 inches below normal thru
out the State. The continued defici
ency during May in Western Mary
land is indicated by the fact that the
total precipitation for May at Sails
bury was 9.12 inches, while Cum
berland received only 1.50 inches
during the entire month.
1t is, therefore, with qualification
that we find that Maryland exper-
fenced fewer fires than occur during
average years due to the lingering
effects of winter which counterbal-
anced the serious conditions which
developed during May. There were
663 fires reported which is encour-
aging when compared with the S73
fires reported in the spring of 1882
and S44 fires in the spring of 1881.
The fact that only 11,033 acres of
woodland were fire damaged is also
encouraging as the only other spring
seasons in which better record
was established were 1927 and 1898,
when rainfall was bountiful In
1881 and 1882 the spring fire losses
resulted in damage to 25,77S acres
and 1921 acres, respectively and
the II ,033 acre loss for this spring
therefore marks some progress.
The fire fighting efficiency for the
State as a whole is only fairly good
as the average fire during the first
six months of 1884 burned about 15
acres This is not as good as the
efficiency record for 1893 when the
average fire burned only IA acres
nor does it equal the splendid effici-
ency record established in 1882
when the average fire for the year
burned only 10 15 acres. The TAG
acre fire which burned on White
Rock and Piney Runs, Garrett coun-
ty, on May 6, and the 1900 acre fire
which burned on Hog Hills, Cecil
county are the type of fires that
these large fires must be made in
order to determine means of attain
ing control when of smaller size.
For the first time in good many
Years Garrett county leads all other
|counties with ia fires, followed by
Anne Arundel county with 108 fires.
A large increase in number of in
Icendiary fires accounts for a much
larger number than usual in Garrett
county. Calvert county has not had
a fire reported since 1892 and Car
roll county has reported only two
fires to date in 1894. District ii,
the Western Shore, consisting of ten
counties, led in the number of fires
with a total of 353 fires. The noun
famous district of the State reported
219 fires and the Eastern Shore, 81.
| Western Maryland suffered the
greatest loss in acreage, total of
ALAG acres. 3,645 acres burned
on the Western Shore, while the
Eastern Shore had the smallest loss
with 2,642 acres.