382 



Canadian Forcstr\) Journal, September, 1919 



FOREST FIRE LOSSES IN THE WEST 



(Continued front page 375) 



effort by hundreds of men to get it under con- 

 trol. In the interval the timber loss has been 

 enormous, as several timber limits have been 

 wiped out and very large areas of promising 

 young growth destroyed. It is estimated that 

 fully fifty million feet of fine saw-timber has 

 been killed by this fire up-to-date. 



Near the end of May a second great fire 

 broke out on the Stony Indian Reservation west 

 of Calgary, and soon spread to the forest re- 

 serves in the Ghost River Valley. This very de- 

 sructive fire has been fought by a small army 

 of men for seven weeks, and, the latest report 

 received, dated July 16th, states that it Is not 

 yet under effective control. Again, in early 

 June another large fire started m the Sarcee 

 Indian Reservation and finally spread westward 

 up the Elbow River, extending however only a 

 short distance into the forest reserve. It was 

 finally placed under control on July 13th. 

 Meantime another very large fire started farther 

 north, between the Red Deer and Clearwater 

 Rivers. Our latest report, of July 16th, shows 

 this fire running south into the Bow River for- 

 est and so far defying all efforts at control. 

 As to the exact extent of the damage occasion- 

 ed by any of these fires, no definite reports are 

 yet available. 



The Brazeau and Clearwater forests appear 

 to have sustained very considerable damage, at 

 least three large fires having occurred on each, 

 but owing to rather more favorable rainfall con- 

 ditions farther north the Athabaska and Lesser 

 Slave forests have fortunatel yescaped so far 

 with comparatively light fire losses. 

 D — B. C. Reserves — On the British Columbia 

 Reserves also the fire hazard for a time was con- 

 siderable, bu tour protective organization suc- 

 ceeded in carrying them through this danger 

 period without experiencing any serious fires. 



2. — Fire Ranging Districts. 



With the exception of the districts in British 

 Columbia an abnormally serious fire situation 

 is reported to have occurred on all the fire rang- 

 ing districts. The chief fire ranger at The Pas 

 says: "This is the worst fire season that the 

 West has seen for twenty years — woods all dry 

 as tinder even in the muskegs." In Prince 

 Albert fire ranging district heavy losses are re- 

 ported, and in the Battleford District twelve 

 large fires had occurred before the end of April, 

 covering some 55,000 acres. No Battleford 



May or June reports are yet in hand, but it is 

 certain that they will tell of still more wide- 

 spread destruction in this part of the West. 



In regard to the region north of Edmonton, 

 the district ranger says: "All through this dis- 

 trict large fires have occurred." One of these 

 fires destroyed the town of Lac la Biche, and 

 the chief ranger reports that another the one 

 which swept timber berth No. 1900 killed 

 some fifty-five million feet of merchantable tim- 

 that the same condition of danger and loss from 

 ber. A May report from Fort McMurray shows 

 fire has been experienced this season even in 

 the Mackenzie Basin. 



No. 3. — Railway Fire Ranging. 



From reports received, it is evident that the 

 Railway Fire Ranging Service has done some 

 excellent work this season. For instance, of 

 the numerous fires reported in April, practically 

 all were extinguished before burning over more 

 than 10 to 30 square yards, thus demonstrat- 

 ing the efficiency of the patrol system employed. 



With reference to the fires on forest reserves 

 in general, and those in Alberta in particular, 

 it must not be forgotten that the war greatly 

 depleted the administrative and ranger force 

 and also largely stopped the construction and 

 proper maintenance of protective impiovements 

 such as trails .telegraph lines, lookout towers, 

 and fire-guards. 



With normally effective protective machin- 

 ery and good laws properly enforced governing 

 the burning of slash by lumbermen and settlers, 

 there is every reason to believe that even in 

 such an abnormally dangerous season as the 

 present, the forest can be adequately safe- 

 guarded from fire loss. 



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