504 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The problem of awakening the public mind to the great loss 

 suffered annually from forest fires received much attention during 

 the year. letters were sent to representative citizens in the vicinity 

 of each national forest, including the proprietors of hot,els and resorts, 

 calling their attention to the annual fire loss and asking for their 

 cooperation in fire protection and suppression. In each letter the 

 location of the nearest ranger district was given, together with the 

 name, address, and telephone number of the ranger in charge. Many 

 of the recipients of these letters replied, offering valuable suggestions 

 for the better handling of the fire problem in their vicinity. In a 

 number of instances local telephone companies inserted in their 

 directories suggestions regarding camp fires and instructions as to 

 reporting forest fires when discovered. Some of the railroads trav- 

 ersing national forest lands inserted in their summer time tables, at 

 the request of forest officers, warning notices against carelessness 

 with fires. Through these and many other means public sentiment 

 in national forest States has become alive to the importance of fire 

 protection. 



There is a marked improvement in the status of fire-trespass cases. 

 At the beginning of the year 78 cases were pending. During the 

 year there were 93 new cases, making a total of 171 cases for consid- 

 eration. Of these, 50 were dismissed, 62 were prosecuted, and 17 

 were settled, leaving only 42 cases pending at the close of the year. 

 The receipts from fire-trespass cases settled during the year amounted 

 to a total of $21,810.70. Incendiarism and carelessness with fires 

 can be largely decreased by promptly initiating legal action against 

 the offenders, and many prosecutions were instigated and convic- 

 tions secured. 



As long as the protective force is inadequate there will always be 

 a large element of uncertainty regarding the possible damage from 

 forest fires. ISIore than four-fifths of all forest fires are caused by 

 man, and are therefore preventable. When a fire has once started, 

 however, the chance of its becoming destructive depends largely on 

 the inflammability of the forest, the time which has elapsed since 

 rainfall, and the wind. These uncertainties and the added hazard 

 which will always obtain from lightning make a much larger patrol 

 force and more active cooperation from the people imperative. 

 Fires must be discovered and extinguished before they obtain a 

 start. A single fire which obtains a good start on an inflammable 

 area and is fanned by a high wind may be impossible to control 

 before it has done immense damage. A large preventive force is 

 the thing needed to insure the national forests and surrounding 

 regions against loss. Although fire organization is being developed 

 to a high degree of efficiency, it is still far below what is needed to 

 guarantee the safety of the Nation's timber. The number of rangers 

 on the statutory roll is sufficient, but there are needed additional men 

 for short periods during the dry season. 



\s a result of the fire disaster of 1910, Congress appropriated 

 $1,000,000 as an emergency fund to meet a possible similar situation 

 the next year. The seasons of 1911 and 1912 were so favorable from 

 the standpoint of rainfall that very little of this appropriation was 

 used. Nevertheless, there may be almost any year a repetition of 

 the 1910 drought, when it would be necessary to spend a very large 

 amount of money to meet the emergency. Such an emergency fund 



