Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-10-19
MAN CAUSES LESS
FIRES IN FORESTS
DEER LODGE AREA REPORTS
GREATER CARE TAKEN BY
CAMPERS

Despite an increase In the num-
Der Of fires this season, due IN
part to unfavorabie weather con-
ditiOns, the Deer Lodge national
forest Is making progress In re-
ducing the percentage Of man
caused forest CONGREGATIONS, ac-
cOrding TO Charles A. Joy,
supervisor of the forest. In region
/, however, there was an increase
in man-caused fires.
He reported that the Deer Lodge
area has had lat fires during the
1910 season, Of which SO we're caused
by lightning and So were man caused
The total of man-cauSed fires has
been slightly under 40 percent Of the
total. which represents a decrease OF
rs percent from the average Of the
past seasons, he said
Joy explained that many factors
enter into the total and average OF
fires, pointing out that an abundance
of dry" lightning or electrical storms
with very little rain boosted the total
number of blazes this year He ex-
planned that the abnormal amount OF
lightning and the Subnormal amount
of rain combined not only to cause
more lightning fires, but to lead to
many more man-caused fires.
Carelessness Cause
"Carelessness in the forest by forest
users may have been as serious IN
other years but an abundance of rain
and moisture may have put out many
fires that otherwise would have start
ed from man causes" he stated. 1.-The
lack of rain and dryness of forest
materials this summer undoubtedly
caused more fires than in past years. I"
He explained that a greater interest
in forests and forest problems by the
public has led to greater caution by
smokers and campers In timbered areas
and pointed out that ne believes the
public has aided materially In reducing
the percentage Of man-cauSed fires.
The area burned by the lat fires
this season included 1858 acres of
private land and 766 acres of national
forest an average of something like
16 acres per fire. That figure indicates
that the fires have been held to small
acreages despite the adverse weather
conditions, because a few large fires
have boosted the average for the sea-
son while most of the fires were held
to only a few acres.
The SO lightning caused fires this
year gave the forest a total in that
class greater than any year since 1890.
AIan-caused fires we're distributed as
IOllOWSs 20 SIuOk6T tires, II CdIupSI
fires, 5 incendiary fires, debris burn
ing fires. ! railroad fire and which
were claSsed as miscellaneous.
For region No. of the forest serv-
Ice, which includes II forests In north
ern Idaho and Montana, there were
3 ,568 fires during the season. The
total was more than double any year
since 1887, and was far above last
years total of 1,745 fires.
Regional Increase
The report showed, however, that
there were 478 man-caused fires this
year, compared with 1858 last year
fires during the current
season totaled 5000 during a summer
that saw some of the most severe
lightning storms IN recent years IN
addition to minimum Of moisture.
The net acreage burned In the re-
gion this year was 1885.
Fire totals of the other six eastern
forests of Montana included AbSaroka
(Livingston), IS total, 6 man-caused;
Dillon, so total, Is man
caused; Custer CBillings), AZ total, 4
Gallatin (Bozeman), 30
.otal, II man-caused; Helena Helena),
I03 total, IS man-cauSed; Lewis and
CLARK (Great Falls, so total, man
caused.