THE FIRE PROTECTION ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS IN 1914 49 



ber. It is an interesting fact that during 

 the last 5 or 6 years, the ratio between 

 the damage to green timber and that to 

 reproduction has steadily decreased. 

 In 1909 the damage to green timber was 

 about 65% and that to reproduction 

 35% of the total. In 1913 timber 

 damage was 40% and reproduction 

 damage 60%. This year the ratio will 

 be about as in 1913. 



The measure of efficiency of the fire 

 protective work on the National Forests 

 should be the value of the property 

 which was threatened and which would 

 in all probability have been destroyed 

 if the expenditure in protection had not 

 been made by the Department. While 

 every possible means is taken to prevent 

 fires from being started, it is absolutely 

 essential that such fires as are started 

 be extinguished as soon as possible, 

 for under conditions such as prevailed 

 during the past season almost any one 

 of the fires which were put out by the 

 Forest Service was a potential disastrous 

 conflagration. In Montana and Idaho 

 alone the value of specific bodies of 

 timber which were threatened by the 

 approximately 2,000 fires which started 

 and w^re put out, aggregated the enorm- 

 ous sum of over $59,000,000. It was 

 in this section that the largest amount of 

 money had to be spent to prevent a 

 recurrence of the great disaster of 1910. 

 In Oregon and Washington, the 1,200 

 fires which were handled by the Depart- 

 ment threatened upwards of $24,000,000 

 worth of timber. And these figures do 

 not include the value of nonmerchant- 

 able timber and young growth on about 

 5,000,000 acres of land, and several 

 million dollars worth of ranch and other 

 private property which lay in the path 

 of the threatening conflagrations. Fig- 

 ures are not yet at hand of the precise 

 amount of damage threatened by fires 

 in California and other National Forest 

 States. These data will, however, add 

 large amounts to the total value of the 

 property threatened and saved. 



There were two lives lost, one in 

 Montana and one in the Pacific north- 

 west. In each case the man was 

 struck by a falling tree. It will be 

 recalled that in 1910, 78 fire fighters 

 were killed. There were this vear a 



number of injuries but chiefly of a 

 minor character. 



REASONS FOR THE FINE RECORD 



The explanation of the success in 

 preventing a great disaster during the 

 past season is given in the single term 

 "preparedness." Within the last four 

 years great forward strides have been 

 made in equipping the forests and in the 

 organization of the force. In the first 

 place, during that time there have been 

 added 1,368 miles of roads, 9,617 miles 

 of trail, 12,000 miles of telephones, 300 

 new fully eqtiipped lookout stations, 695 

 headquarter buildings, and many other 

 improvements. The forests have had 

 a great increase of equipment in the way 

 of tools and tool caches, portable 

 telephones, tents, etc. Transportation 

 facilities have been provided either by 

 purchase of pack horses or arranging 

 for hire of animals and automobiles. 



Fully as great a factor, however, has 

 been the organization of the force. 

 During the past four years careful fire 

 plans have been developed for all the 

 forests, the protective force has been 

 reorganized so as to have available a 

 maximum patrol during the dry season, 

 the system of detection and patrol has 

 been intensified, arrangements have 

 been perfected to secure at short notice 

 labor for fire fighting, a system has been 

 developed for officering the fire fighters 

 by experienced foremen, and the force 

 has been trained in the swift establish- 

 ment of headquarter camps, with the 

 necessary equipment and supplies. The 

 fire organization worked with admirable 

 efficiency when the test came this year. 



As a single illustration, a ranger in 

 one of the Oregon Forests stationed two 

 miles from town received a report by 

 telephone from a Service lookout of a 

 fire 12 miles away. He saddled his 

 horse, rode to town, secured four auto- 

 mobiles and 20 men and was on the 

 fire line within 48 minutes after receiving 

 word about the fire. Instances of 

 similar and equally swift work could be 

 recounted in large numbers. 



As showing the increased efficiency of 

 the organization over former years may 

 be cited the results on the Colville 

 Forest. In 1910, with 62 fires, 155,200 



