FOREST FIRES A NATIONAL PROBLEM 



677 



der, with two in Alaska and another in Porto Rico an 

 inventory of every possible source of fire danger is first 

 made ; then an inventory of the resources available to 

 combat them. Preventive measures, such as the estab- 

 lishment of aerial and ground patrol, lookout stations, 

 and public education in the right use of fire, together 

 with such protective measures as cleared fire lanes, 

 burning of dangerous slash, establishment of lines of 

 comnuinication, etc., are then put into effect. 



The prime requisite in successful fire fighting, any- 

 where and everywhere, is an intimate knowledge of the 

 lay of the land, an adequate detection and communica- 

 tion system, and arrangements perfected in advance 

 for handling any fires that occur. The ranger and su- 

 pervisory force of the National Forests furnish the first ; 

 airplanes, lookout stations, patrolmen, roads, trails and 

 telephone lines the second ; and the systematic and well 

 laid fire plans of the Forest Service the third. 



Fire seasons occur at different times of the year in the 



FIGHTING THE RED ENEMY 



The National Forests first line of defense the Ranger and 

 his crew on the fire line. 



various National Forests of the country, but no matter 

 when the period of greatest hazard may be, prepara- 

 tion is made long in advance to combat the arch enemy 

 of the forest. Twists of men, horses, automobiles, and 

 supplies and equipment are worked up ; aerial patrol is 

 started ; lookout stations are manned ; extra patrolmen 



employed; central employment and distributing agen- 

 cies established; and the co-operation of the public en- 

 listed. Beyond this point, human ingenuity and effort 

 count for little, and local weather and fire conditions 

 play a large part in the final outcome of the season's 

 effort. 



A FIRE MAKING GOOD HEADWAY 



The red plague of conflagration has left its sinister effect on 

 every, community. 



The efficiency of any system or plan of work can be 

 measured largely by the results secured. So it is with 

 the Forest Service fire-fighting organization. Let the 

 figures speak for themselves. In 1920 there was a total 

 of 6,078 forest fires in the National Forests. Of these, 

 80 per cent were discovered and extinguished by forest 

 officers before they burned over an area of 10 acres each. 

 A total of 342,193 acres of timber and open land were 

 burned, or .2 of 1 per cent of the area included within all 

 the Forests. The damage reported amounted to $400,- 

 000, and approximately $1,000,000 was expended in ex- 

 tinguishing the fires. 



The preservation of our forests means not only pro- 

 tection to the lumber and pulpwood industries, and to 

 watersheds so vital to the power and water resources 

 of the country, but it means the safeguarding of the very 

 essential of happy home life and business prosperity 

 of every citizen. Today wood is not nearly as plentiful 

 as it was a decade ago, and should it become more scarce 

 in time to come the result will be a readjustment of 

 the present high economic standards of living. When we 

 stop to think that 50 per cent of the remaining forests of 

 the United States are in the three Pacific Coast States 

 of Oregon, Washington and California, the need for ade- 

 quate protection of these timber resources is plain to 

 every one. It is, therefore, of interest to note the latest 

 experiments in the protective service covering this par- 



