Costs of Forest Protection 33 



of 100 years some 50 acres per each 1,000 acres of forest will 

 have been burned over, or o per cent. Irrespective of the value 

 per acre, if the burned areas sample the forest, there is an 

 annual charge of 5 per cent of the total forest income in losses 

 alone. It is, of course, a prohibitive rate and in itself proves 

 that present protection is inadequate. But the other charges 

 must be added. The value of the timber losses per year, aver- 

 age $1,788,000. In 1910, they were $24,183,000. Exclusive of 

 1910, they averaged $150,000. Losses in non-merchantable 

 young stands ("reproduction" in the Reports) averaged, for the 

 four years, 1910-1913, $2,37-4,000 per year. In 1910, they were 

 placed at $9,180,000. Exclusive of 1910, the average is $105,000. 

 In addition, other losses for "forage" were reported. The average 

 total losses reported for the 9 years are $2,857,000. In 1910, 

 the total losses were $24,183,000. Exclusive of 1910, the average 

 is $116,000. 



The costs of fire-fighting are also reported by the Forester, but 

 these do not include the salaries of the regular force or the 

 expenses incurred by them in connection with fires. These 

 amount to an average of $202,000 for the 7 reported years. Ex- 

 clusive of 1910, the average is $162,000. In 1910, it was over 

 $1,037,000. 



The sum of the expenses and the losses caused by fire, as 

 reported, total to an average per year, for 9 years, of $2,929,000. 

 Exclusive of 1910, $178,000. In 1910, they totaled $25,220,000. 



In order to approximate the actual total costs of the protective 

 system it is necessary to include the value of the time of the 

 regular forest officers and their expenses while engaged on fire 

 work. There is no indication as to this total in the published 

 reports. There should also be added a pro-rata charge against 

 protection from the sums expended in permanent improvements 

 such as roads, trails, telephone lines, lookout stations and equip- 

 ment, fire-fighting equipment, etc. No data as to this item is 

 available, but assuming that one fourth of the total appro- 

 priated "for administration and protection" reaches the Forests 

 and is expended in protection, about 0.25 of a cent per acre was 

 spent for protection in the fiscal year 1914, which was about 

 average. In that year a total of about 0.2 cent per acre was 

 spent for permanent improvements. 



On the basis of these statistics it seems possible to conclude 



