274 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



individual owner, nor should he be expected to bear the entire cost 

 of maintaining them. It is quite possible that because of the benefits 

 accruing to it from the existence of great forest resources, the public 

 should bear part of the cost not only of protecting such property from 

 destruction, but even of insuring the owner against loss in case of 

 such destruction. This is especially true in case of regions where 

 the conflagration risk is great, or of forests where the fire risk is due 

 largely to the general public (campers, railroads, etc.) or of forests 

 at present inaccessible, but which nevertheless have a great potential 

 value for future generations. Under a system of government insur- 

 ance, the public could very readily contribute its proper share of the 

 costs. 



Recommtendations 



The following action is recommended: 



1. The adoption in all States of effective forest fire laws, requiring 

 definite standards of fire protection, and complete reports of all fire 

 losses. 



2. Establishment of an Actuarial Bureau at Washington, either in 

 the Forest Service or in close connection with it, to collect reports 

 on forest fire losses and to make standard classifications of risks and 

 work out rates of insurance therefor. Such Bureau should have the 

 power to require complete and uniform fire reports from all parts of 

 the United States. 



3. As soon as the Actuarial Bureau has worked out preliminary 

 classifications and hazard ratings for forest risks, which ought to be 

 possible within one or at the most, two years, it should be expanded 

 into a Federal forest fire insurance organization. The costs of opera- 

 tion, as well as of extraordinary losses, such as conflagration losses, 

 should be borne by the public, and private owners should pay not more 

 than the actual ordinary loss costs of insurance. All public forests 

 belonging to States or minor political divisions should be insurable 

 under this plan, and all private forests whose owners desire it and 

 which, through their owner or through the States in which they lie, 

 are afforded protection at least equal to minimum required standards. 



Whether such an organization should be connected with the Forest 

 Service, with the Treasury Department, or with some other branch 

 of the Government, is not clear at this time. This and other details 

 which it does not seem proper to go into in this report should be worked 

 out by a conimittee representing the Federal Government, the States, 

 the forestry profession, and private timber owners, including both 

 owners of large tracts and farmers. 



