rOKEST SERVICE. 227 



chase work within the areas already approved and in part acquired. 

 To leave these eastern Forests in their present half-finished condition 

 Avoiild sul)je('t them to formidable fire hazards and other difficulties 

 of management. 



The total area of alienated lands within the National Forests at 

 the close of the year was 24,267,723 acres. Much of this land is 

 forested and should always be used for growing timber. It is usually 

 intermingled with timberlands belonging to the Government, and its 

 misuse, mismanagement, or neglect jeopardizes the Government's 

 holdings. Evidenth' some action should be taken to reduce the 

 danger to our {)ublic Forests from this source, either by acquiring 

 the private lands or by making some equitable arrangement with the 

 owners through exchange. Numerous bills are now pending in 

 Congress granting authority to the Department to deal with the 

 situation on limited areas and within certain Forests. The problem, 

 however, is found upon every Forest, and the situation can only be 

 remedied by general legislation. It will take many years of careful, 

 painstaking negotiation to correct the damage done through allow- 

 ing the alienation of timbered lands which should have remained 

 in public ownership. The importance and necessity of general legis- 

 lation whereby our National Forests may be properly completed and 

 adequately pi-otected through consolidation by exchanges with pri- 

 vate owners can not be too strongly urged. 



PROTECTION. 



The fiscal year opened with the Forest Service already in the midst ' 

 of a fire season which had become serious in June and was to prove 

 one of the severest as well as one of the most protracted ever known. 

 It was the third successive year of severe drought in the Northwest, 

 and the worst of the three. The fire season began so early that the 

 customary preparations — the repair of trails and telephone lines dam- 

 aged by the winter storms, the organization of the protective force in 

 the field, and the placing of crews in the Forests on summer construc- 

 tion work from which they could be summoned to assist in fire sup- 

 pression in their neighborhood if occasion should arise — had not been 

 fully completed. In addition, the Forest Service was under a handi- 

 cap because of the many personnel changes that had depleted its force 

 of experienced men and necessitated much shifting about of the 

 men left, often to posts where they were not thoroughly familiar Avith 

 the locality; and Avas further handicapped by the great difficulty of 

 secui'ing capable temporary employees to serve as lookouts, patrolmen, 

 smoke chasers, and straAV l)osses. 



Early in June hot weather and dry Avinds began to create conditions 

 of danger in the northern Kocky Mountain region after a brief spring. 

 By the middle of the month fires began to stai't, and before its close 

 it Avas i)lnin that unless al)normal summer rains should relieA'e the 

 drouth a long and difficult fight Avas ahead. 



No rains came. On the contrary, throughout Montana, parts of 

 Wyoming, northern Idaho, all of Washington and Oregon, and 

 northern California the weather conditions Avere exceptionally un- 

 favorable until efirly September. In northern California the dry 

 season continued until nearly the middle of November, and in south- 

 ern California until December. In Montana, northern Idaho, east- 



