FOREST SERVICE. 501 



It is probable that inccndarism is on the decrease except in a few 

 localities. The educational work done by the service in showing the 

 damage by fires, the friendly feeling toward the organization and local 

 personnel, and the vigilance of the Arc patrol have worked together to 

 reduce the number of fires from this source. During 1912 a large 

 number of the incendiary fires occurred in northern California. 

 These were primarly due not to ill feeling, but to the theory of light 

 burning which is being preached by certain influential men of that 

 State. 



This theory is that, to protect the forest, fires should run over the 

 ground every year, thus keeping down brush and getting rid of in- 

 flammable m*terial. The object is to keep the woods open and thus 

 prevent large fires. It was the custom of the Indians and early set- 

 tlers to do this. The result has been a fearful devastation. This is 

 particularly true in California, which actually has 30 to 50 billion 

 feet less timber standing to-day than would have been the case had 

 it not been for this practice. A continuance of it in the manner pro- 

 posed will absolutely prevent a regrowth of forest on the old burns 

 and would finally wipe out the forest altogether by putting a stop to 

 reproduction. 



One large timbcrman is carrying out the theoiy systematically and 

 with great care on his own lands. He is spending about 50 cents an 

 acre on the work and thereby is able to keep the damage down to a 

 minimum, although a certain loss to small trees ensues. But the 

 ordinary man simply sets the woods on fire when fire will run, regard- 

 less of this loss. The doctrine of light burning as popularly under- 

 stood in California is nothing less than the advocacy of forest 

 destruction, and those who preach the doctrine have a large share of 

 responsibility for fires which their influence has caused. 



Conditions in the calendar year 1912. — At the time of writing 

 this report the fire season is not closed and the data are incomplete. 

 Preliminary reports on about 1,500 fires show that the season has been 

 favorable to fire protection, excepting on the Colorado Plateau, where 

 an unusual number of fires were started by lightning. In fact, it 

 would appear from these incomplete figures that the season of 1912 

 will show a greater percentage of fires caused by lightning than any 

 previous year in the history of the Forest Service. In some localities 

 more than half the fires were thus caused. 



Progress in protection. — In spite of the fact that so many of the 

 fires occurred in regions of inaccessibility, the efficiency of the Forest 

 Service fire-protective machinery shows as rapid progress toward 

 perfection as can be obtained with the comparatively small force of 

 patrolmen and lookouts who can be employed with the funds 

 available. 



In the classification on page 500 it has been the custom to assume 5 

 acres as the area which may be burned before a fire does any serious 

 damage. Probably 10 acres would be a fairer basis of classification, 

 since a fire of this size is either a ground or surface fire and has not 

 become a general conflagration consuming the crowns of the trees or 

 merchantable timber. The com])utation for 1911 is, however, based 

 upon the 5-acre limit for cla.ss B fires and shows that G8.94 per cent 

 of all the fires on national forests were extinguished by forest officers 

 before this limit had been passed. 



