72 FOREST PROTECTION 



Fires in National Forests during a recent five-year period show 

 that the annual average area burned over is relatively small com- 

 pared with previous years. Fires which burned over one-fourth acre 

 or less comprised 56.31% of all fires, those between one-fourth acre 

 and 10 acres formed 26.92% and those of 10 acres or more composed 

 the balance of 16.77%. Thus the great majority of fires are detected 

 quickly and suppressed promptly. Quick attention and access to 

 incipient fires and their prompt control are of outstanding importance 

 in the entire fire problem. 



Some examples of great forest fire conflagrations are as follows: 



1. The Miramichi fire of 1825 in New Brunswick spread to a vast 



acreage within 9 hours. It finally covered an area 80 miles 

 long by 25 miles wide and burned over 2% million acres. 

 Several communities were burned, and 160 people perished 

 in this terrific fire. 



2. The great Peshtigo fire of 1871 in Wisconsin burned over an area 



of about 2000 square miles, and approximately 1500 people 

 were killed as a result. 



3. In the Hinckley fire in Minnesota in 1894, Hinckley and six 



other towns were laid waste. Many miles of railroad were de- 

 stroyed, about 500 people perished, and the property loss ex- 

 ceeded $25,000,000. 



4. The northern Idaho conflagration of 1910 burned large areas of 



valuable western white pine timber, principally in the Na- 

 tional Forests. Over $25,000,000 worth of valuable timber 

 was lost within a period of two weeks. Many millions of 

 dollars worth of property were destroyed, several towns com- 

 pletely burned up, and many lives lost. 



5. The great Tillamook fire in northwest Oregon in 1933 burned 



principally on private holdings and covered more than 300,- 

 000 acres. It burned for 11 days, killing approximately 11 

 billion board feet of excellent timber and resulting in a loss 

 estimated at more than $200,000,000. It is reported that a 

 yearly tax of $400,000 or 43% of all taxes levied in one 

 county was lost and that six years of wages for 14,000 

 workers, or over $100,000,000 annually were taken away 

 from these communities in prospective employment. Thus one 

 appreciates the intimate relationship between forest fires and 

 employment in logging, sawmilling, transportation, and dis- 

 tribution of forest products. 



In California light burning, that is, annual or periodic burning of 



