642 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



In Idaho the state itself is a member 

 of all associations, paying its full share 

 per acre for state lands embraced. 

 Washington does not share the expense 

 of patrol, but helps defray the expense 

 of additional day labor for actual fire 

 fighting. 



This work by the private owners gives 

 the very highest efficiency in patrol and 

 fire fighting. They are not limited by 

 statute or appropriation bills in provid- 

 ing adequate funds and using them to 

 meet emergencies. Being interested 

 only in the best results, and technically 

 familiar with conditions, they get good 

 men and practical supervision. They 

 spend from one to ten cents an acre for 

 exclusive fire work during the fire sea- 

 son, w'hile the Forest Service has to 

 spread a cent or two over all sorts of 

 administrative work for the whole 

 year. 



The private owner, however, is prac- 

 tically helpless in enforcing the puni- 

 tive laws which are very generally re- 

 garded with contempt, because there is 

 little state machinery for enforcing 

 them, and here lies one of the greatest 

 dangers to property and life outside the 

 national forests. 



W^HAT THE CONDITIONS WERE 



To come now to the specific condi- 

 tions of the season of 1910: 



When it became apparent that un- 

 usual drought was bringing a grave 

 situation, the private patrols w-ere grad- 

 ually increased and every efifort was 

 made to reduce the hazard. The West- 

 ern Forestry and Conservation Associ- 

 ation had repeated warnings published 

 in every newspaper in the Northwest. 

 Letters were sent to loggers and others, 

 urging every precaution in the woods. 

 Circulars, posters, and other publicity 

 matter were circulated widely. .All this 

 had undoubted great effect, but did not, 

 of course, remove the general careless- 

 ness with fire that prevails where the 

 fire laws are not respected. 



Although June and July continued 

 hot and dry after an unusually dry 

 spring, and the danger during these 

 two months had been equal to that of 

 the nrdinarv entire season, the associa- 



tions extinguished hundreds upon hun- 

 dreds of fires in their incipiency and 

 practically prevented any loss within 

 their territory of millions of acres. But 

 finally, in August, there prevailed 

 throughout the Northwest strong winds 

 which, with the forests already like tin- 

 der, fanned every fire that could not be 

 reached at once into a serious confla- 

 gration. 



An army of private patrolmen was 

 by this time in the field, exerting every 

 efifort. The four Idaho associations 

 had from 30 to 50 regular men each, 

 the Washington association 125. Be- 

 sides these, additional and independent 

 patrols comprised several hvmdred 

 more. Fire fighters were freely em- 

 ployed to check and hold fires that be- 

 came serious. 



But as conditions became worse, the 

 systems broke at a few of their weak- 

 est places, and almost always for one 

 of two reasons — persistent violation of 

 the fire laws or juxtaposition of unpro- 

 tected lands. It was an utter impossi- 

 bility, especially after the force was 

 taxed to the utmost where life and 

 property was particularly in danger, to 

 meet all the new fires that bust out as 

 a result of public indifiterence. 



THE RESULTS .ACCOMPLISHED 



Nevertheless, efifort was never once 

 remitted, and the associations, like the 

 Forest Service, massed all the men they 

 could hire wherever they were most 

 needed, without regard for fine distinc- 

 tions of ownership. Alenacing fires 

 were fought, although on the lands of 

 men who had refused to protect them. 

 The same credit is due very many own- 

 ers who worked independently. In 

 western Washington $200,000 was 

 spent during the season for private fire 

 work. The CcEur d'Alene association 

 alone spent about $50,000 in Idaho, 

 having as high as 850 men in the field, 

 and its neighbors in proportion. The 

 Washington association had 1.200 extra 

 men. Oregon owners were less per- 

 fectly organized, so exact figures are 

 not yet available, hut doubtless spent 

 $100,000. 



