EDITORIAL 



THE FOREST FIRE SEASON 



y^HE season of greatest dauger from forest fires is drawing to a close. 

 C_J For the next six months we may breathe a little easier and if we are 

 ^^ well advised we shall profit by experience and consider wherein our 

 defences have been found to be lacking and provide for greater safety next 

 year. With this thought in mind, we are publishing this month several prac- 

 tical articles dealing with systems of fire protection, especially in the national 

 forests. We in the United States are not doing a fraction of what we ought 

 to do to pi-eveut and control forest fires. But we are doing much and doing 

 it well, and we shall doubtless improve both the quality and quantity of our 

 work each year now that we have really taken the problem into serious 

 consideration. 



Fortunately, not every year do we have such terrible spectacular con- 

 flagrations as aroused the whole country in 1010. But the loss each year, and 

 especially during such dry seasons as we have been having for several years 

 past, is heavy; the liability to outbreaks like that of last year is always 

 present; and the time to provide for them is before they happen. That there 

 have always been forest fires is shown by the testimony of the ancient forests, 

 but it is unavoidable that the increase of population, the spread of human 

 activities into the forests, should increase the danger far beyond natural con- 

 ditions. And the loss becomes more serious as the forest area decreases and 

 the size and value of our timber trees becomes less. 



As was pointed out by Dr. Deckert, the German observer, in an article, 

 the translation of which was published in this magazine a few months ago. 

 the forest fire i>roblem in the Fuited States ])resents jieculiar diflicnlties and 

 will probably always remain with us as a present danger. Nevertheless, we 

 cannot admit that American skill, energy and ingenuity are not equal to the 

 task of reducing the danger and the loss to a comfortable minimum. The 

 problems of organization, method and equipment have been taken up on a 

 tremendous scale by the United States Forest Service on the national forests, 

 and by many of the states in their oxvni territory. Large timberland owners 

 in the northwest and northeast are co-oj)erating with the government officials 

 in a way most })romisiug of results. When we have developed a sutticient 

 leadership of capable fire chiefs, supported by a body of trained men. with an 

 ample equipment of the best tools, machinery and vehicles for reaching and 

 fighting forest fires; when all our forest regions are so laced with roads and 

 tniils that fires can be reached promjitly and with the smallest expenditure 

 of energy; when lookouts with range finders and tele]thone connections are 

 "enerallv installed and experienced patrols maintained, so that fires may be 

 detected in their incijiiency ; when finally— though it may well stand first in 

 importance — the people as a whole have been educated to a sense of indi 

 vidual resjionsibility for preventing the start or spread of damaging fires, 

 we luav expect the holding of forest property to be a much loss anxious owner- 



615 



