FOREST PROTECTIOW ACTIVITIES 



Reports from all sections indicate a fav- 

 orable firq situation at the beginning of 

 June. Heavy winter and spring precipita- 

 tion has not yet been overcome, says The 

 Forest Patrolman. Considerable slash 

 burning in Western Oregon and Wash- 

 ington, Northern Idaho and Montana has 

 been done, which is of particular impor- 

 tance in view of conditions last fall which 

 rendered slash disposal practically impos- 

 sible. 



OREGON 



The Oregon State Board of Forestry 

 has been vigorously following out a slash 

 cleanup campaign. Records show that 15 

 per cent of the fires in Oregon outside 

 National Forests the past 10 years have re- 

 sulted from slashings. Elimination of 

 slashings therefore means reduction in loss 

 of timber. Fourteen District Wardens 

 went on duty April 1 and 8, others during 

 May. The best kind of coiper.-ition from 

 ranchers and loggers has been secured 

 without resorting to the compulsiop which 

 tJie law permits. 



Work of the State and A-.sociations m 

 perfecting plans for the present season is 

 u-ogressing satisfactuiily. State fire war- 

 den appointmentis have been issued by 

 State Forester Elliott to 36 paid men in ad- 

 dition to 24 paid wholly or in part by the 

 State while 13 voluntary wardens and 123 

 Forest Service employes have also been 

 appointed, making a total of 196 now hold- 

 ing state appointments. 



WASHINGTON 



The fire season of 1921 was opened in 

 Washington April 1st by mailing 1600 no- 

 tices to dispose of dangerous fire hazards 

 and as many "No Smoking" regulations. 

 Ten district fire wardens were put on duty 

 to serve additional notices and to assist in 

 slash burning. Ten more district fire war- 

 dens went on duty about May 1st. Sev- 

 enty-five patrolmen and rangers will start 

 work the first week of June, and an equal 

 number June 13th. 



The plan of the State Forest Fire Serv- 

 ice includes an increase in patrol of about 

 fifty wardens and rangers, and a probable 

 increase of twenty-five or thirty in logging 

 camp fire wardens. It also includes the 

 construction of about one hundred and 

 twenty-five miles of telephone line mostly 

 in the Olympic Storm Zone, and the estab- 

 lishment of three new lookouts. 



Unfavorable weather at the close of the 

 1920 season prevented fall burning, and 

 weather conditions this spring have not 

 been as favorable for burning slashings. 



The Olympic storm zone presents a 

 problem which calls for a large outlay for 

 fire protection, and may require a much 

 hrger outlay for fire control. At the same 



time the organization is larger and better 

 equipped to handle fire than it has been 

 for any previous season. 



The policy of the state forest fire service 

 in the administration of the law prohibit- 

 ing kindling fires in the forests or danger- 

 ously near forest material is set forth in a 

 bulletin issued by F. E. Rape, State Super- 

 visor of Forestry. 



IDAHO. 



In common with other states slash dis- 

 posal and improvement work has occupied 

 a large amount of the attention of the va- 

 rious associations. 



The latter part of May weather was fav- 

 orable for burning slashings. 



Notice was served this year on all opera- 

 tors by publication, in the newspapers in 

 each county that brush must be disposed 

 of before the fire season begins, and it is 

 proposed to follow this up with specific no- 

 tice to each individual in regard to his par- 

 ticular area of brush, and then when his 

 brush is cleaned up, to give him a clearance 

 card releasing him from any further burn- 

 ing on the area. It is believed that when 

 this custom has been in effect for some 

 time better success will result in getting 

 brush disposal than in the past. 



Forest Protection Week was a great suc- 

 cess in Northern Idaho. 



NORTHWESTERN MONTANA 



The Northern Montana Forestry Asso- 

 ciation, A. E. Boorman, Secretary and 

 Chief Fire Warden, has about completed 

 the necessary arrangements for the pre- 

 vention and handling of forest fires during 

 the season of 1921. As in previous years 

 tlie work will be carried on under a co- 

 operative agreement with the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. This agreement provides for the 

 number and location of patrolmen, and 

 specifies the basis on which the cost of 

 fires occurring within the Association 

 boundaries are to be pro-rated. The ter- 

 ritory affected is approximately 2,500,000 

 acres. 



The federal government. State and as- 

 stciations will place in the field approxi- 

 mately 75 patrolmen between June 15 and 

 July 1, depending on climatic conditions. 

 These men will be familiar with the ter- 

 ritory they are to patrol, and each will be 

 equipped with the necessary tools and oth- 

 er equipment to detect and handle fires in 

 their respective districts. 



FOREST SERVICE (DISTRICT 6) 

 (Oregon and Wsbhington)) 



A statement given out by the U. S. For- 

 est Service indicates that its plans for fire 

 prevention and suppression are more com- 

 plete and intensive than ever before. The 

 number of rangers and short-term men 

 now on duty in Oregon and Washington 



is about one hundred and fifty. This force 

 will hi increased to over eight hundred 

 July 1, besides a number of trail and road 

 crews which will be instantly available 

 A period of training for a considerable 

 number of the new men has been provided 

 and conferences have been held on a num- 

 ber of Forests to exchange ideas and to 

 acquaint the men with their responsibility 

 and the most approved methods of pre- 

 vention and suppression. Two points em- 

 phasized throughout are instant action and 

 immediate attack on all fires and prose- 

 cution of all violators of the fire laws. 



Extension of trails and telephone lines 

 has progressed trail mileage now being 

 between nine and ten thousand miles and 

 telephone mileage being about six thou- 

 sand. 



The Forest Service is cooperating with 

 state authorities in the brush clean-up 

 campaign and good results are being ob- 

 tained. 



An area of extreme fire hazard was cre- 

 ated on the Olympic Peninsula by the ter- 

 rific wind storm of January 29. To meet 

 it Congress and the State of Washington 

 each appropriated $100,000. Road, trail and 

 telephone crews are rushing work to the 

 end that communication be as perfect as 

 possible. A much-used section of the 

 Olympic Highway traverses a portion of 

 the windthrown area. The Governor of 

 Washington has detailed a squad of na- 

 tional guardsmen to register all persons 

 entering the storm zone by way of Fair- 

 holm at the west end of Lake Crescent. 

 An additional preventive measure is an or- 

 der by the State forbidding smoking on the 

 area except within doors and on designa- 

 ted camp grounds, of which there are 

 three. 



FOREST SERVICE (DISTRICT 5) 

 (California) 



The California District of the U. S. For- 

 est Service enters the fire season more in- 

 tensively prepared than at any time in t^ie 

 past five years. A slight increase in the 

 man-power will materially help to handle 

 serious situations which have developed 

 within the lightning zones. By the middle 

 of August at the height of the season about 

 525 men will be on the job, wholly or in 

 part in fire protection work. 



It is expected that at least 800 timber 

 land owners will cooperate with the For- 

 est Service this year in the protection of 

 their holdings, amounting to between three 

 and four million acres of land. In addi- 

 tion to this Southern California, through 

 Slate, County, and agricultural and water 

 associations, will contribute $80,000.00 for 

 the protection of the watershed forests sur- 

 rounding rich agricultural lands. 



