228 



ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMf^NT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ern Wa.shiii^'ton, and eastern Oregon the droii<j:lit was of the gravest 

 cliaracter. 



All oxotUis of farnu'is from cMstcrn Moiitana, (Irixcii by the ruin 

 of their (.Tojjs to seek eni[)loynieiit as day hiborms elsewhere, made it 

 possible for the Service to recruit in midseason additional fire 

 tifxhters in tho re<T:ions where the fires were most severe and the diffi- 

 cult v in obtainiiiir sufHcieiit labor most embarrassino:. 



Throughout the central Ivocky Mountain and (Jreat Basin rej^ions 

 summer rains were generally sufficient to relieve a situation which in 

 the early part of the season was seriously threatening, so that in this 

 region the conditions for the season of 1919 were normal and without 

 extensixe fires. In the Southwest the season was exceptionally favor- 

 able, Avitli trifiing losses and small fire-fighting expenditures; the 

 usual fall fire season did not develop at all. In Minnesota the sea- 

 .son was normal, in Arkansas bad with 148 fires and over 25,000 acres 

 burned over, and in the eastern Forests generally good except for 

 brief periods during which a number of fires developed on the 

 Pisgah and Unaka Forests. 



Certain statistics regarding the fires in 1919 are given below: 



Fires on National Forests, calendar year 1919. 



Classes and causes of fires. 



Class of fire: 



Bum less than 0.25 acre 



Bum between 0.2.5 acre and 10 acres 



Bum 10 acres and over, damage under $100.. . 

 Burn 10 acres and over, damage SlOO to 51,000 

 Bum 10 acres and over, damage over S1,000... 



Total 



Caases of Arcs: 



Railroads 



Lightning : 



Incendiarism 



Brush burning 



Campers 



Lumnering 



Unknown 



Miscellaneous 



Total 



The total number of fires, G,800, Avas 1,227 greater than in 1918. 

 The area of National Forest lands burned o\gv was 2,0i)7.0;M acres, 

 as against ()9l.{jr>l in 1918; the estimated damage was $4,919,709, as 

 against $G88,;}32; and the total cost of fire fighting (exclusive of 

 the time of Forest officers) was $3,089,G15, as against $714,009.0:1 



The appropriation item for fire fighting for the fiscal year 1920 

 carried $150,000, and it Avas necessary to draAv on the funds avail- 

 able for general expenses of administration and protection and to 

 seek reimbursement of these funds from Congress through a deti- 

 cienc}^ appropriation of $2,950,000, which became available Novem- 

 ber 4, 1919, just as the general funds reached exhaustion. Had Con- 

 gress not been in .session, the exhau.stion of funds would have had 

 most serious consequences. 



Much the largest number of fires (2,258) were in district 1 (Mon- 

 tana and northern Idaho). This district also had most of the fires 

 which caused damage in excess of $1,000 (199 out of a total of 328). 



