Ten :: :: THE SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



burning is of great assistance in keeping down the fire hazard. A 

 good percentage of our trouble this year came through loggers' slash-- 

 ings which had been left over from last season. Almost without excep- 

 tion., when one of these slashings was burned it was at a time when 

 weather conditions were the very worst. In two or three instances, 

 which are exceptional,, early burning of slashings caused considerable 

 trouble, but these occurrences should not be taken as an evidence 

 against such work. During the greater part of June our men were 

 kept busy patrolling their respective districts, posting notices, visiting 

 logging camps to see that the Forest Fire Laws were being complied 

 with in respect to fire preventive measures as stipulated, putting out 

 smoldering fires, assisting in the construction of telephone lines and in 

 looking after road contractors who were inclined to slight their work of 

 clearing up right-of-ways properly, thus creating bad fire hazards. 

 Eight thousand warning notices and sequence signs were put up along 

 roads, trails and camping places frequented by hunters, fishermen and 

 pleasure seekers. Several thousand pictures of a campfire scene, espe- 

 cially designed to inculcate in children the importance of being careful 

 with fire, were sent to most of the public schools and distributed to 

 the pupils, a larger size picture being included to be hung upon the 

 schoolroom walls. Four hundred picture slides depicting forest scenes 

 and calculated to impress upon the minds of the public the need of 

 forest fire protection, and what the loss is when timber burns, not 

 alone to the timber owner, but to everyone in the state, were sent to 

 moving picture theatres and were shown during the more dangerous 

 part of the fire season. This is the best form of advertising for our 

 work yet devised. The credit for this innovation in publicity work 

 belongs to Mr. E. T. Allen of the Western Forestry and Conservation 

 Association of Portland, Oregon. 



Our rangers and the county wardens granted 12,000 permits to 

 burn 94,292 acres of land which is being cleared for agricultural pur- 

 poses. In very few instances did any of these fires cause serious 

 trouble. Wherever any timber was endangered by the burning of 

 these slashings, the patrolmen were present to assist with the burning. 



Beginning June 26th, an unprecedented spell of hot, dry weather 

 set in, and from that time until the close of the season the men had a 

 most strenuous time in looking after the numerous fires which soon 

 began 'to spring up and which increased in number as the summer 

 advanced. Owing to this we were unable to do any work in the con- 

 struction of fire breaks, as was done last year, our whole attention 

 being given over to keeping fires out of the woods. The number of 

 forest fires occurring in Western Washington during the season of 

 1911 was 345, of which 190 were started from unknown causes, 36 by 

 farmers in clearing land, 31 by logging and railroad locomotives, 22 by 

 sparks from donkey engines, 20 from smoldering fires, 19 from log- 



