88 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



therefore purpose to ask from Congress an increase of $180,000 in the 

 funds available for it. 



The fact that reforestation is to be brought about partly by the 

 actual outlay of money for soAving and planting, partly by permit- 

 ting the forest to sow itself and protecting the 3'oung growth from 

 fire after it has become established, reenforces the statement that 

 National Forest administration means, for one thing, an increase in 

 the investment. Expenditures for artificial reforestation are obvi- 

 ously investments. It is just as obviously immaterial by what meth- 

 ods the new stock is established, so long as it is obtained. WTiether 

 hand-sown or tree-sown, if it is growing it represents an increase of 

 capital account. It is worth remembering that only a part of the 

 yearly cost of National Forest administration and protection goes to 

 pay for the transaction of current business. Another part is spent 

 to protect the existing stand of merchantable timber and young 

 growth, wliile a third part is laid out in providing more material for 

 a future cut through natural and artificial replacement. 



PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS AND FIRE PROTECTION. 



For the last four years Congress has made a specific appropriation 

 for the construction and maintenance of permanent improvements 

 on the National Forests. The amount thus appropriated for the 

 year 1910 was $600,000. Of this, something less than $60,000 was 

 spent for maintenance of improvements. The experience of the 

 past summer proved conclusively how valuable these improvements 

 are and how great is the need that they should be multiplied. 



During the past season there have been unusually severe forest 

 fires in nearly every part of the countr3^ The National Forests 

 have suffered to a greater extent than at any time since their estab- 

 lishment. When the National Forests were placed under adminis- 

 tration, the annual fires were reduced to a small percentage of what 

 previously occurred. In 1906 the fires burned over about 115,000 

 acres, or about one-tenth of 1 per cent of the total area. In 1909, 

 with a much larger total of Forests, the area burned was 362,014 

 acres, or something less than two-tenths of 1 per cent of the total. 

 During the past season, under the difficulties of an unprecedented 

 drought, the protective force was unable to prevent a large number 

 of fires from starting, and many of these could not be extinguished 

 before a great loss had been sustained. 



The fires of 1910 were primarily due to a severe drought, which 

 extended throughout the country and which in the Northwest was 

 the most severe ever known, so far as official records show. The 

 spring was very dry, and in the summer, when there are usually 

 abundant rains in the mountains, the rainfall was exceedingly small 

 and very localized. The region most affected was the area drained 



