28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



■were in evidence, ne Iccl safe in saying that our losses would have 

 been of no consequence liad we been spared the sweeping gales whi«h 

 every one ki)ows makes fire control a very difiicult problem. The past 

 summer, when compared with those of other years, doubtlesb proves 

 to the satisfaction of all concerned, that faithful and alert patrol 

 of forest areas is productive of a great saving in fire losses. In the 

 past years, with the possibilities of destruction being no greater 

 than the present year, millions of dollars in property losses have be- 

 come a matter of record. 



The character of the work taken np this year has been along the 

 same lines as during the season- of 1912. Throughout the summer a 

 very comprehensive patrol system has been maintained; also syste- 

 matic arrangements for locating, reporting and fighting incipient 

 fires have been carried out. The splendid and cordial co-operation, 

 accorded this department by the residents, timber owners and oper- 

 ating lumbermen, is the predominant factor in the protective move- 

 ment. The charge of indifference that formerly was made against 

 residents and lumbermen is no longer well founded in the majority 

 of instances. The general public has discovered it pays to prevent 

 and extinguish fires. They have come to realize that the remaining 

 stands of virgin forests are a public resource in the taxes they pay, 

 as a minor consideration, and in the wealth they eventually distribute 

 throughout the community, as the more important matter. Town- 

 ship officers have learned that the constant patrol feature, in con- 

 nection with the educational system of our department, is entirely 

 responsible for the reduction of fire fighting costs and the preserving 

 of the tax value of timber lands in each township. And we are 

 pleased to report that the majority of supervisors and township 

 boards are desirous of co-operating with us in every way possible. 

 We must confess we hardly e.xpected this co-operative spirit to be- 

 come so pronounced in the second year of our effort in forest pro- 

 tection. 



Buring 1912 many of the settlers, living in close proximity to for- 

 est lands, were non-committal in their views relative to "no forest 

 fires." These same residents this year are imbued! with the pro- 

 tective idea and have been of material assistance in keeping down 

 the fire loss by being careful in the use of fire and by giving prompt 

 assistance in extinguishing and reporting those which the occasional 

 careless person had allowed to escape. In recording the able co- 

 operation we have rccei\ed we wish it were possible to say that this 

 applied to every individual. However, we can not at this time or 

 doubtless any time in the future say that every man has learned the 

 lesson of absolute care. Eighty per cent of our people today are 

 careful but, in all probability, eternal vigilance shall be the price 

 ■we must pay in keeping the other twenty per cent in check until 

 the majority of these become educated in the ways of careful men. 

 Your wardens have spent considerable time and effort in laying 

 before the several supervisors, throughout the patrol area, our co- 

 operative plan for the destruction of accumulated slash, the detail 

 of which we gave in a previous report. We are pleased to be able 

 to say at this time that the idea is meeting with the hearty support 

 of all and will be tried out during the spring of 1914. The slash 

 problem has been given much thought by this department, and to put 

 in action a plan whereby we shall remove at least fifty per cent 

 of the danger from this source will materially reduce the hazard 

 to forests and their products. The money ■which will be saved by 

 townships in fire fighting costs, and the menace to settlers and tim- 

 ber owners thus removed is a large incentive to all concerned to 

 take hold of the work and make it a success. 



During the patrol season, three violations of the fire law were re- 

 ported to this office, backed by affidavits of convicting evidence. In 

 each case, we investigated these reports and found that the parties 

 ■were guilty of gross carelessness and, without doubt, convictions 

 could have been secured had these cases been taken to court. How- 

 ever, this department decided on a plan of leniency in handling 

 first offences, where no malicious intent is shown, which we believe 

 will be of more benefit to the cause than would be gained through 

 prosecution. In each of the cases cited, the prosecuting attorney 

 ■was interviewed and the evidence submitted for his consideration. 

 The request was made that the party be brought before him and 



lectured on tlic careful use of fire with the understanding tliat the 

 present charge should stand against the party and a warrant for 

 his appearance would be issued upon satisfactory evidence of any 

 further violation. Your chief warden was present at each of these 

 hearings and was given the privilege of outlining the aims and methods 

 of this department. We explained that we did not wish to injure 

 anyone financially or otherwise but must insist on every person 

 using fire with care. We made the liberal offer to take charge of 

 and assume all responsibility of any future slash parties might wish 

 burned and we are convinced that, in each case, we made a friend to 

 the cause wc represent. We believe the method adopted in the above 

 cases has an educational value paramount to a trial by court with 

 a fine attached. However, we wish to have it understood that second 

 offences will be looked upon as malicious and when the evidence of 

 the origin of fire is forthcoming a warrant will be asked for and the 

 case prosecuted to the limit of the law. 



Between the dates of April 20 and October 10, 299 fires were dis- 

 covered by your wardens and prompt measures taken to extinguish 

 same. In every case the cause was investigated and the area burned, 

 together with damage, if any, was carefully estimated. A full and 

 complete report was then made in writing and forwarded to this 

 office. Your men are instructed to make a careful study of each 

 fire attended by them and learn, il possible, the origin. 



If we desire to apply a remedy we must know the cause in order 

 that we may try to prevent a repetition in the locality where fire 

 occurs. The fires investigated resulted from tlie fullowing causes: 



Railroad locomotives 89 



Settlers lOG 



Fishermen careless with camp fires 8 



Campers careless with camp fires 2 



Berry pickers careless with matches and camp fires .n 



Smokers careless with pipes and matches 41 



Boys playing with fire 4 



Los: loaders throwing cinders 4 



Traction engines throwing sparks 3 



Lightning 3 



Fern pickers careless with matches 1 



Dynamite 1 



Probably malicious .3 



Unknown 29 



Total 209 



Thirty-five thousand nine-hundred acres, principally slash lands, 

 were burned over during the season. Less than one per cent of the 

 area burned was in green standing timber, fires being checked or 

 headed in another direction before reaching timber line. 

 Loss TO Pkopeeties 



Pcllston district — Hemlock logs and wood ^ $ 35.00 



Onaway district — Cedar posts and logs, pulpwood, ties, hardwood 



logs and wood 1,571.52 



Springvale district — Chemical wood 20.00 



Wolverine district — Set of camps, bark, ties, posts, logs, shingle 



bolts and hardwood tie-cuts 1,120.00 



Johannesburg district — Cedar posts and poles 74.00 



Deward district — Hemlock logs, bark and cordwood 1,593.18 



Mancelona district — Damage to 230 M standing timber 460.00 



'V^'exford district — CJieraical wood 74.00 



Total $4,947.70 



The loss, here reported, we believe may be considered small when 

 compared with other seasons now past. The burning of 35,900 acres 

 was especially dangerous as the area was covered with a highly in- 

 flammable material and the fire, at times, was driven by the onrush 

 of heavy gales of wind which materially enlarged the possibility of 

 loss, especially so when the large amount of harvested timber sub- 

 ject to the hazard of fires is considered. 



We are pleased to report there is much interest being shown in 

 the movement against forest fires by the management of the fol- 

 lowing named railroad companies: The Michigan Central, Grand 

 Rapids & Indiana, and the Boyne City, Gaylord and Alpena. These 

 roads have and are still making a great improvement in locomotive 

 screens and they have instructed their employes to use every precau- 

 tion against the spread of fires set along the right-of-way. For your 

 information and in justice to the above named railroad companies, 

 we submit the following comparisons: 



