FORICST rfERVICK. 



209 



ruptedly but the gradual elimination of many of ijie speculative fea- 

 tures 01 mining has tended to confine mineral entries more strictly 

 to lands of real mineral value. The substitution of prospecting per- 

 mits and leases in connection with the development of coal, oil, gas, 

 and phosphate has also had beneficial consequences. 



PROTECTION. 



PROTECTION OF THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 



The fires on the national forests in the calendar year 1921 com- 

 pared with those during the two previous years in number, size, and 

 cause are as follows: 



Comparison of fires on national forests, calendar years 1919, 1920, and 1921. 



Classes and causes of fires. 



Class of Are: 



Burns less than 0.25 acre . 



Burns between 0.25 acre and 10 acres. 



Number of fires. 



Percentage of total. 



1919 1920 1921 



2,839 



2,014 



Burns 10 acres and over i 1, 947 



Total 1 6, 800 



1919 1920 1921 



3,122 1 2,947 

 1,724 ' 1,606 

 1,232 ! 1,298 



41.75 

 29.62 

 2S.63 



6, 078 5, 851 



51.37 



28. 36 

 20. 27 



100. 00 100. 00 



50.37 

 27.45 

 22.18 



100.00 



Causes of fires: 

 Railroads . 



; 701 



Lightning ; 2, 197 



Incendiarism i 339 



Bnjsh burning I 360 



Campers j 1, 466 



Lumbering 278 



Unknown I 1, 155 



Miscellaneous ! 304 



508 

 ,082 

 245 

 24S 

 ,0.52 

 211 

 485 

 247 



643 

 1,451 

 562 

 305 

 1,738 

 156 

 674 

 262 



Total ! 6,800 6,078 5,851 



10.31 

 32.31 



4.99 



5.29 

 21.56 



4.09 

 16.98 



4.47 



100.00 



8.36 

 50.71 

 4.03 

 4.08 

 17.31 

 3.47 

 7.98 

 4.06 



10.99 

 24.80 



9.60 



6.24 

 29.70 



2.67 

 11.52 



4.48 



100. 00 100. 00 



The area burned, damage sustained, and cost of fire fighting for 

 the three vears were as follows: 



The 1921 fire season was extremely bad in district 3 (Arizona and 

 New Mexico) owning to drought and high winds, and in the central 

 Rocky Mountain and Eastern States it was the most dangerous 

 season in many years. In the other districts it was less difficult 

 than in 1920. District 1 (Montana and northern Idaho) had 1,336 

 fires, a decrease from 1920 of 380; there were 862 fewer lightning 

 fires, but 482 more man-caused fires. District 6 (Washington and 

 Oregon) had 1,311 fires, and district 5 (California) 1,196. Districts 

 1, 5, and 6 together had 66 per cent of all the fires, as against 73 per 

 cent in 1920. 



