FOREST FIRES OF 1910. 



The fire loss on the timber lands of the state in 1910 was com- 

 paratively small, the entire acreage burned over within the Maine 

 Forestry District being only 267 acres of the 9,500,000 acres con- 

 tained therein. The estimated damage was $935 com- 

 pared with the state valuation of $41,279,390. Of this damage 

 and loss 200 acres burned over by blueberry pickers was in 

 Washington county, the estimated damage to the lot being $500. 

 Thus it is seen that this one fire included nearly all of the acre- 

 age burned over and one-half the entire loss. This number of 

 fires, however, does not include the hundreds of small fires found 

 and extinguished by the patrolmen, which had they been left 

 to burn under the old system of no watchmen, might have 

 amounted to many thousands of acres burned over and a loss 

 running into large figures. 



In the incorporated towns eighteen forest fires were reported 

 to this department and of this number six reported no damage 

 was done. In the remaining twelve 581 acres were burned over 

 at an estimated loss of $1,906. 



The causes assigned to the several fires in the Forestry Dis- 

 trict and the incorporated towns were as follows : Clearing land, 

 1 1 ; unknown, 1 1 ; railroads, 5 ; campers, 3 ; lightning, i ; blue- 

 berry pickers, i ; hot ashes, i ; boy playing with fire i. 



The tabulations follow : 



