THE 1915 FOREST FIRE SEASON 



227 



with protection forces, in addition to the regular year- 

 long personnel. 



Reports thus far at hand indicate a very marked in- 

 crease during the past season in the percentage of fires 

 traceable to lightning. Over 40 per cent of the fires dur- 

 ing the year just ended are attributed to this cause. In 

 the Montana and northern Idaho forests 60 per cent of 

 the fires this year were caused by lightning. In 1914 

 lightning and railroads caused approximately an equal 

 number of fires in this region, amounting together to 70 

 per cent of the total number, whereas in 1915 less than 

 one-tenth of the 970 fires which started were traceable to 



ON TOP OF MT. HOOD 



The fire lookout station, built by the Forest Service at an 

 elevation of 11,225 feet, where the observer can pick up 

 fires which are not visible to observers at lower altitudes 

 who are much nearer to the fires. 



railroads. On the California forests the number of man- 

 caused fires showed a substantial decrease compared with 

 previous years. In view of the increasing use of the 

 California forests, both by the residents of that State and 

 by tourists, this showing is very satisfactory, as it indi- 

 cates that the aggressive campaign of education in the 

 matter of tire protection which the Service has been 

 pushing for a number of years in California is having 

 tangible results. 



When, a year ago, Congress was asked for a deficiency 

 appropriation to meet the expenditure of nearly $700,000 

 for tire fighting during the season then closing, it was 

 pointed out that that year had been more dangerous and 

 severe from the standpoint of fire hazard than any previ- 

 ous year in the experience of the Forest Service, with 

 the possible exception of 1910. That greater loss was not 

 sustained and greater expense not incurred was due very 



largely to the fact that the field force of the Service was 

 better organized to meet the situation than it had been in 

 any previous year. During the past season, with five- 

 sevenths the number of fires that occurred the year pre- 

 vious, only $207,. '300 was spent, while the average cost 

 per fire was but 40 per cent of the 1914 cost. This is in 

 addition to the cost of fire fighting done by regular offi- 

 cers and special protective summer forces on the National 

 Forests. 



This extraordinary drop in the cost of fire suppression 

 is undoubtedly due in part to the fact that in the regions 

 of highest hazard fires occurred later in the season than 

 usual, when the days were becoming shorter and the 

 nights cooler. Other factors, however, are the continued 

 development of permanent lookouts for detection and 

 the use of firemen, or "smoke-chasers," who are sta- 

 tioned at strategic points during the dangerous periods 

 and are at all times ready to go to a fire on instant notice. 

 Preparedness pays in fire protection. Quick detection 

 and swift attack by a regular or two often saves a long, 

 expensive fire fight with a hastily recruited crew of vol- 

 unteers. One especially notable development in detec- 

 tion this past season was the use of Mount Hood, on the 

 Oregon National Forest, as a permanent lookout station. 

 At a height of 11,225 feet the observer at this lookout 

 picked up many fires which were not visible to lookouts 

 located at lower altitudes and much nearer to the fires. A 

 substantial cabin has been built on the summit for use 

 next season, and the demonstration of Mount Hood's 

 efficiency may result in the testing of some of the other 

 higher peaks in the Northwest. 



COST OF MAPLE SUGAR 



IN a few days the Department of Utilization of the 

 New York State College of Forestry will inaugurate 

 some experiments at the Forest Experiment Station, 

 at Chittenango, with an idea of determining the cost of 

 production of maple syrup and sugar with reference to 

 the small sugar bush, such as is often found in the small 

 farmer's dooryard. It is proposed to ascertain as def- 

 initely as possible whether it will be worth while for the 

 small farmer to indulge in the tapping of the dozen or 

 so trees that he may have around his house. The profit- 

 able utilization of such small groves may very probably 

 reduce the bills at the grocery store. 



FOREST PLANTING IN VERMONT 



THE report of the State Forester, recently published, 

 shows that the interest in forest planting is still 

 increasing in Vermont. More people planted 

 trees in 1915 than in any previous year. Altogether over 

 four million trees have been planted in the State by about 

 500 people since the establishment of the Forestry De- 

 partment. In order to give a better idea of what this 

 number really means it may be said that the trees are 

 planted in rows G feet apart, and there are, therefore, 

 about 4,500 miles of such rows in the State. 



