FOREST FIRES 



Fire in California 



A report from San Diego, Cal., dated 

 Nov. 29, says: "Brush fires that started early- 

 yesterday morning in the Cleveland Forest 

 Resen-e and in many places in the country 

 east and south of San Diego are today sweep- 

 ing over large areas of unimproved land. In 

 Lower California reports from points along 

 the border that have telephone communica- 

 tion with San Diego and from boats recently 

 arrived from Ensenada are that fires are pre- 

 vailing in many ranges on both sides of the 

 peninsula. 



"In San Diego county fires are raging on 

 San Miguel Mountain, Volcano Mountain, 

 Cuyamaca, Upper Otay, Sweetwater and 

 Green Valleys, Lost Pine Mountains, Poter- 

 ero, Treate, Campo, Black Mountain, San 

 Dieguito River Valley and Viejas Mountain. 

 In the Lost Pine Mountains the hoisting ma- 

 chinery and sheds of a mine were destroyed. 



"No estimate of the damage in the fire zone 

 has been obtained. Forest Supervisor H. N. 

 Wholer, of the Cleveland Reserve, has every 

 man in his employ out; the county rangers 

 have also been pressed into service and the 

 men employed on the big ranches in the 

 district in question are aiding. It js hoped 

 by tomorrow at the latest, if the winds sub- 

 side, to check the flames." 



Washington's Fire Losses 



Eleven million feet of timber was destroyed 

 and over 70,000,000 feet was killed by fire in 

 the State of Washington during the summer 

 of 1911, according to the report of J. R. 

 Welty, Washington State fire warden, just 

 filed with the State board of forest commis- 

 sioners. Most of the killed timber is accessi- 

 ble and many be logged, thus causing little 

 loss, says Mr. Welty. 



During the season fires burned over a total 

 of 86,364 acres. A total of 5,792 permits 

 to burn slashings were issued by the fire 

 warden and his deputies. Fifty-four arrests 

 were made for violation of the forestry laws, 

 and the fines and costs in connection with 

 these arrests totaled $1,291.05. Forty-eight 

 out of the 54 arrests made resulted in con- 

 victions. 



"Burning under permits," says the report, 

 "was attended by little loss. The holders of 

 permits generally exercised great care to 

 prevent the fires from spreading beyond the 

 limits of the slashings. About 46,000 acres of 

 slashings were burned under permits during 

 the season, indicating that much land is being 

 cleared for agriculture. 



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"The total area burned over by these fires 

 was 86,364 acres, as follows : Cutover or 

 logged-off lands, 62,669 acres ; old burned 

 tracts, most of which were burned over in 

 fires of 1902, 18,530 acres; second-growth 

 timber, not yet merchantable, 889 acres; 

 merchantable timber, 4,267 acres. 



"Of this 4,267 acres of merchantable timber 

 burned over 1,047 acres were killed or de- 

 stroyed and 2,329 acres were not injured. 



"Where second-growth timber, not yet 

 merchantable, standing on ground sutiable 

 for timber growth only is burned, the loss is 

 serious, but where such timber is located on 

 land suitable for agriculture and which will 

 in the near future be used for that purpose, 

 the loss is light. 



"Most of the second-growth timber land 

 reported as burned over is suitable for agri- 

 culture." 



The total logged-off lands burned over 

 amounted to 62,669 acres. Of this area nearly 

 one-sixth is in Thurston County. 



In the destruction of merchantable timber 

 Lewis County suflfered the greatest loss. 

 The total amount destroyed was 7,000,000 and 

 the total killed 65,000.000 feet. In Cowlitz 

 County 1,000 feet of timber was destroyed 

 and 1,250 feet killed. In Snohomish County 

 1,000,000 feet was killed by fires and 450,000 

 feet destroyed. Pierce County lost 265,000 

 feet of merchantable timber, and timber 

 measuring 250,000 feet was killed. Clarke, 

 Perry, Jefferson, Kitsap, Klickitat, Pend, 

 Oreille, Whatcom and Spokane counties suf- 

 fered no loss. 



Reducing Fire Fighting Cost 



Considering the efficiency of the service 

 obtained, Montana's fire fighting bill for the 

 past season, under the cooperative plan in- 

 augurated last spring, was merely nominal, 

 according to a report submitted to the State 

 Board of Examiners by State Forester 

 Charles W. Jungberg. 



The State has two co-operative agreements, 

 one with the private lumber companies and 

 the government on a pro rata acreage basis, 

 and the other with the government alone. 

 Under the first agreement, Montana is a 

 member of the Northern Montana Forestry 

 Association, operating in Flathead and Lin- 

 coln counties. 



The total fire loss in this district on 194,428 

 acres of timber, valued approximately at four 

 million dollars was only $35. The cost to 

 tlie State protecting its 68,721 acres in the 

 district, valued at $1,356,963, was but $343.61. 

 In the district there were six fires during 

 the season and a total of 199 acres were 



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