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A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



it when they have been fire causers. The thoughtless discarding of 

 burning matches and tobacco is an example of the forms of careless- 

 ness that may easily originate a fire which does not become evident 

 until the person responsible for it is far on his way. On their face, 

 the statistics relating to the number and the size of fires fail to give a 

 fair picture of what has actually been accomplished in fire protection. 

 This is notably true in the South, where, as protection has been ex- 

 tended more widely, better data on fires have been obtained, with the 

 result that the count doubtless includes many fires about which, had 

 they occurred in earlier years, nothing would have been known. 

 Reports from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, in both of which 

 State- wide protection has been in effect long enough to make the data 

 reasonably comparable for a series of years, show in one case an 

 apparent trend in the direction of a smaller average size of fire and 

 in the other a trend in the direction of a smaller number of fires. 

 There are, however, too many variables that affect the record to per- 

 mit of drawing any definite conclusion, one way or the other, from 

 these figures. Table 4 shows the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania 

 record. 



TABLE 4. Number and average size of forest fires in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania 



by years, 1921-31 



1930 was a very severe fire year. 



1931 was a severe fire year in Pennsylvania. 



A comparison of the results of protection in the several forest 

 regions will serve to throw light on what the States are doing. Vari- 

 ous indicators of the accomplishments will be successively considered. 

 It should be borne in mind that no one of these indicators by itself 

 affords a satisfactory basis for judging as to the results. In combi- 

 nation, they bring out a single composite picture. 



The diversity of conditions in the several regions has to be taken 

 into account in interpreting the tabulated data. It is much easier 

 in some regions than in others to make a good showing. Climate, 

 terrain, the character of the vegetation, available roads, population 

 density, water supplies, and the like interact with the preparedness, 

 equipment, and general efficiency of the organization to affect 'the 

 result. Again, the importance of confining all fires to a small area 

 varies greatly. To attempt to give equally intensive protection 

 everywhere would be unjustifiable; costs must be balanced against 

 results. Where fires are likely to start at remote points in sparsely 

 settled country and run fast through open forests or over grasslands 



