678 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



A SMOULDERING GROUND-FIRE 



"A little fire is quickly trodden out, 



Which, if suffered, 



ticular region the airplane forest patrol. 



This year the aerial fire patrol, maintained by the 

 Air Service of the U. S. Army, in cooperation with the 

 Forest Service, enters into its third engagement. Dur- 

 ing the season of 1920 air- 

 plane patrol was maintained 

 over the National Forests and 

 Parks of the Pacific Coast 

 from southern California to 

 northern Oregon. From six 

 base stations airplanes made 

 a total of 1,301 patrols, spend- 

 ing 3,996 hours in the air and 

 covering the tremendous dis- 

 tance of 476,085 miles. Flying 

 at an altitude of from 10,000 

 to 15,000 feet, the airplane 

 observers discovered 1,632 

 forest fires, of which 741 were 

 reported to ground stations 

 by radio, and the remainder 

 by parachute messages or on 

 landing. The percentage of 

 accuracy, on the basis of 100 

 per cent for fires reported' 

 within one-fourth mile of 

 their exact location, was 80 

 per cent. Thirty-seven air- 

 planes were used for patrol 

 and the personnel of officers, 

 pilots, observers and mechan- 

 ics numbered 220. 



Aerial patrol, although 

 spectacular in its methods, 

 falls short of solving the fire 

 detection problem. Of the 

 forest fires discovered by air- 

 plane observers last year on 

 the National Forests of the 

 Pacific Coast, only 26 were 

 reported to officers of the in- 

 dividual Forests concerned be- 

 fore similar reports had been 

 received from lookout sta- 

 tions, patrolmen or other 

 .ground sources. It is expect- 

 ed to better this record during 

 the present season through 

 improved radio and ground- 

 line communication. But the 

 main reason why airplane pa- 

 trol fails in effectiveness is 

 because it does not afford a 

 means of continuous observa- 

 tion. Any given point or part 

 of a forest, to be fully pro- 

 tected from fire hazard, must 

 be under constant observation 

 during the entire daylight period, which in summer 

 time amounts to some 15 or 16 hours. Airplanes on pa- 

 trol duty are able to make only two flights of from two 

 to three hours each a day, going out over a regular 



rivers cannot quench.' 



A REPRODUCTION AREA 



If our idle forest lands could be put to work growing trees, and fire kept out, they would 

 produce all the timber that the country needs. 



