296 



CONSERVATION 



lems be solved and the rights of the 

 present generation and of future gen- 

 erations be conserved. 



«? &' ^ 



Biltmore Forest Fire 



ON APRIL 8 and 9 disastrous fires 

 occurred in the forests on the Van- 

 derbilt estate near Ashevile, N. C. The 

 fire destroyed immensely valuable 

 groves of young poplars on a 10,000- 

 acre reforested tract of the Biltmore 

 estate and then swept over 20,000 acres 

 of virgin forest on the Pisgah Reserve, 

 causing enormous damage. 



It is reported that people living near 

 the preserve fought the fire desperately, 

 both from a kindly desire to aid Mr. 

 Vanderbilt and with the hope of saving 

 their own property, which was endan- 

 gered by showers of sparks. As often, 

 however, as the fire was extinguished 

 in one place, other fires sprang vip at 

 different points. The latter, it is be- 

 lieved, were set by incendiaries who, it 

 is supposed, had become ofifended by 

 some of the forest employees, or be- 

 cause they had been prevented from 

 hunting and fishing on the Vanderbilt 

 preserve. 



Incendiary forest fires are not un- 

 known. The fires at Biltmore, if ac- 

 tually due to incendiaries, seem to have 

 been attributed to spite. In Conserva- 

 tion for March (page 175) instances 

 were given of other forest fires kindled 

 by incendiaries. These fires, however, 

 were attributed to economic motives. 

 People fired the woods in order to ob- 

 tain work and wages in extinguishing 

 the fires. On a visit to Biltmore, a 

 year ago last fall, the writer was told 

 that such fires were not unknown in 

 that region. Broadly viewed, of course, 

 such methods are expensive. They 

 suggest Charles Lamb's story of the 

 origin of roast pig, according to which 

 a man would burn a house in order to 

 roast a pig. Later, however, less ex- 

 pensive methods of preparing this spe- 

 cies of food were devised. Likewise, it 

 would seem that civilized society could 



find more economical methods of em- 

 ploying workers than that of leaving 

 them to destroy immense!}- valuable 

 property that they may be paid a pit- 

 tance for saving a remnant of it. How- 

 ever, it is encouraging to observe that 

 rewards are being offered at Biltmore 

 for evidence leading to the conviction 

 of the incendiaries, and that public 

 opinion seems to be ready to deal vigor- 

 ously with them if fovmd. 



i$l 



i« 



Private Interests Protecting against Fire 



MR. KELLOGG'S statement in his 

 paper, "What Forest Conservation 

 Means," regarding protection work by 

 private agencies is interesting. While 

 appealing for state action, backed by 

 ample funds, he pleads also for coopera- 

 tion with timberland owners, and in- 

 stances what some such owners have 

 done. "Four forest protective associa- 

 tions in northern Idaho, for instance, 

 organized in accordance with the laws 

 of that state, protected a million and a 

 quarter acres of forest land and kept 

 the damage down to a comparatively 

 small amount." 



Evidently private individuals and 

 agencies can do things in this field. 

 Furthermore, in the instance quoted, 

 they have not hesitated to spend money. 

 The cost to these associations of this 

 protection was four cents per acre. 

 How much this is relatively may be 

 inferred from the accompanying state- 

 ment that the Forest Service had but 

 one and one-half cents per acre to 

 spend upon the National Forests for all 

 kinds of work and administration, in- 

 cluding fire fighting. 



Such action by private individuals 

 and agencies should be recognized 

 and encouraged. At the same time, we 

 must not err by supposing that it will 

 cover the whole case. The public can- 

 not shirk its responsibility and shoulder 

 the burden of protection against fire 

 ofif upon individuals. It must do its 

 o^^'n work, or expect to see that work 

 remain unperformed. 



