6 REPORT OF THE FOREST COMMISSION. 



develop forests of positive value. Our possibilities are sug- 

 gested by a comparison with Wiirttemberg. That German state 

 and ours have practically the same area, the same population, 

 similar territory and similar interests. The annual net income 

 from New Jersey's forests is about 50 cents per acre, the annual 

 net income from Wiirttemberg's forests is upwards of $6 an acre. 

 We can do as well if we will. 



FOREST FIRES. 



The State Firewarden's report see p. 43 makes it clear that 

 prevention is the only effective way to control this evil. So long 

 as fire setting agencies persist the best organized fire service 

 that is possible can do no more than put out fires bef9re they 

 become serious. Whenever dry weather and high winds coin- 

 cide, as they did last spring, a big crop of fires is inevitable. The 

 year's record thus suffers by comparison with that of last year 

 which enjoyed a comparatively wet spring, but it is better than 

 that of any previous year since the service was fully organized. 

 The measure of the season's success, however, is to be found, 

 not in the number of fires reported, but in the list of potential 

 fires that did not get away, and in the ability of the fire service 

 steadily to increase their proportion. In this respect the fact 

 that 54 per cent of "all fires known to have started were put out 

 before they had burned as much as five acres affords strong 

 ground for satisfaction. 



Loss: See Table II, p. 44. The estimated value of all kinds of 

 property destroyed by forest fires during the year was $67.205 

 against a similar loss of $21,501 in 1912. More than the whole 

 of this increase, however, is due to twenty-seven fires which un- 

 der extreme conditions of drouth and high wind escaped con- 

 trol and caused a loss of $47,370. Neighboring states suffered 

 relatively much more. 



Causes: See p. 46 and Table IV. A study of causes neces- 

 sarily precedes any application of remedies. A steady reduction 

 in the proportion of "cause unknown" fires indicates efficiency in 

 a fire service ; this year only 30 per cent of all fires were so re- 

 ported. The average in most states is upwards of fifty per cent, 



