EDITORIAL 627 



Other items of loss which cannot be terial hindrance to business enterprises 

 estimated in any manner are those of and industrial development, 

 loss of soil fertility where the humus iH ^ )!& 

 and top soil is burned and calcined to a Pire Losses of 1907 

 depth of from a few inches to two or nr^j^^ ^^^^^ statistics of fire loss for 

 three feet, and where all soil nutriment [ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ national forests 

 is absolutely destroyed ; damage to river h^^j^g a total area of about 150,000,000 

 courses and to farming land adjacent ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ j^5^ y^ar was an un- 

 to burned-over forests, such loss arising usually favorable one so far as con- 

 from floods and droughts which are cerned forest fires. Heavy rains in all 

 caused by the destruction of forest p^rts of the country kept down the 

 cover and which annually cost the Na- fires and made conditions such as to be 

 tion many millions of dollars ; and the very unfavorable for the starting of any 

 constant depreciation in forest wealth material conflagration. Following is a 

 and land values which have destroyed statement compiled by Mr. E. A. Zieg- 

 and are destroying the prosperity of ler, of the Forest Service, covering the 

 many sections, and which form a ma- fires of 1907. 



STATEMENT OF FIRE LOSSES FOR 1907 

 Showing Lost of Fire'fighting on National Forests 



1. Total area turned over 212, ^-oO' acres or .14 per cent, of 150 million acres reporting 



2. Timbered area burned over 29,365' acres 



3. Amount of timber destroyed 31,026,000 board feet 



(or less than .007 per cent, of the 450 billion B.M. estimated stand on this area) 



4. Value of timber destroyed $31,590 



5. Cost of fire fighting: (exclusive of forest officers' salaries) : 



Labor $4,259 



Supplies 718 



Total 4,977 



6. Total number of fires reported: 



Class A 845 



Class B 280 



Class C 181 



Unclassified 49 



Total 1.355 



Cause of fires: 



Xumber 



Campers 346 



Railroad locomotives 273 



Lightning 176 



Donkej- engines 65 



Clearing land 34 



Incendiary 19 



Hunters 9 



Herders 6 



Miscellaneous 60 



Unknown or not reported 367 



Total 1.355 



'Large area burned over due to including three large grass fires on — 



Dismal River (Nebr.) National Forest Area burned, acres 51.200 



Garden City (Kans.) National Forest do 38.400 



Wichita (Okla.) National Forest do 13.840 



Total 103,440 



2 Includes area of 11,500 acres in Chiricahua National Forest, Arizona, reported as timberland, but only 

 100 board feet per acre were destroyed. 



Note. — Comparatively few reports contained the month of occurrence, hence distribution statement Is 

 omitted. 



