year occurred in 1910 in Idaho. The usual spring and sum- 

 mer rains failed entirely. From March until September prac- 

 tically no rain had fallen. The usually more or less damp 

 forests became thoroughly dried out and the 'matting of 

 needles and humus was like tinder. Every little fire that 

 ordinarily could be extinguishel with small damage became 

 almost immediately a conflagration. A damage of $12,000,000 

 to the timber, and a toll of 85 deaths, tell the story. 



As one travels in the forests, particularly of the West, one 

 finds in every region evidences of great conflagrations which 

 swept over extensive areas and destroyed thousands of acres 

 of virgin forests. In Colorado there are evidences of many 

 such fires and we have excellent accounts of them through 

 the records of early settlers. Again in Oregon, one of the 

 most impressive sights I have ever seen was in the Siuslaw 

 section of the Coast Range, where fires in 1829 and 1866 swept 

 over the country and wiped out one of the heaviest stands 

 of timber in the Northwest. These greatest fires occurred in 

 years of unusual drought, the critical dry year that inevitably 

 comes some time to every region. 



Any adequate plan for forest fire prevention must Icok to 

 security during the worst seasons. In an unprotected forest, 

 fires may do an enormous damage any year. Thus during the 

 season of 1912, which, so far as weather was concerned, was 

 one of the most favorable in the Rockies for a number of 

 years, 518 fires were started in the national forests of Idaho, 

 Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming. They were all put out 

 promptly by the forest force, thus preventing a damage which 

 would have been enormous if the forests were unprotected. 

 During 1910 in Idaho and Montana alone there were 1,873 

 fires, showing the difficulties of the season of drought. 



Skeptics say that it is not possible to protect our forests 

 during the season of great drought, the critical dry year; that 

 while the damage may be prevented during the average year, 

 the time will come when a great fire will undo all this work. 

 Many point to 1910 and the damage in the national forests, 

 and say: "What's the use?" Time was when people said 

 that fires could not be prevented during the average year. 

 Probably the majority in the Northwest Pacific states re- 



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