AMERICAN FORESTRY 



VOL. XXVI 



OCTOBER, 1920 



NO. 322 



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EDITORIAL 



THE FIRE SEASON 



T^HE summer fire season of 1920 is, it is to be hoped, 

 -"- now a matter of history. So far as the western 

 National Forests are concerned, the season has been an 

 unusual one in several respects. A wet spring delayed 

 the occurrence of any really serious fires until early in 

 July, and gave rise to the hope that they were to be 

 few and far between. Then came a period of dry weather 

 which resulted in a rapid increase in the number of fires. 

 The situation was particularly critical in Montana, Idaho, 

 Washington, Oregon and California, where the develop- 

 ment of widespread conflagrations was threatened. 

 Fortunately, unusually high winds were not prevalent 

 and rather general rains toward the end of August and 

 the first of September virtually put an end to the danger 

 of a catastrophe. 



One of the interesting features of the season was the 

 large proportion of fires caused by lightning. In western 

 Montana and northern Idaho, for instance, lightning set 

 no less than 1,200 fires, or approximately 80 per cent of 

 the total number. These were so scattered and fre- 

 quently so inaccessible as to render their control ex- 

 tremely difficult. So serious was the situation that in 

 early August some 500 extra patrolmen and 1,200 fire- 

 fighters were on duty at the same time. High winds and 

 still drier conditions than those which actually existed 

 might easily have resulted in a repetition of the holo- 

 caust of 1910. 



Lightning was also responsible for many fires in Wash- 

 ington, Oregon and California. Here the experiments 

 undertaken last year with the airplane as a means of 

 fire patrol and fire reconnaissance were continued. While 

 it is still too early to reach any final judgment as to 

 the value of the airplane for these purposes, it has to its 

 credit many instances of service rendered. In addition 

 to detecting the occurrence of fires, it has been able to 

 determine their exact location and area, the general 

 character of material in which they were burning, and the 



best means of approach. Information of this sort has 

 made possible the selection of fire-fighting crews of the 

 right size and has saved valuable time in getting them to 

 the scene of the fire. 



Information is not yet available as to the acreage 

 burned and damage done. It is known, however, that 

 in less than three months it has been necessary to incur 

 emergency liabilities aggregating about $700,000. This 

 is over and above the much larger amounts spent annu- 

 ally by the Forest Service from its regular appropriations 

 for the maintenance of a fire protection organization, the 

 development of means of communication and transpor- 

 tation, and the purchase of supplies and equipment. The 

 maximum expenditure, amounting to considerably more 

 than half of the total, has been in western Montana and 

 northern Idaho. Washington and Oregon come next, 

 and California third. Wyoming and Colorado have es- 

 caped with the remarkably small total of approximately 

 $3,500. 



To meet a situation of this sort, Congress, in the face 

 of a request from the Forest Service for an appropria- 

 tion of $1,000,000 for emergency fire fighting, actually 

 appropriated $250,000. A deficit of $450,000 has there- 

 fore already been incurred which must be met from 

 funds appropriated and badly needed for other pur- 

 poses, unless and until Congress sees fit to provide a de- 

 ficiency appropriation. Last year, with a special appro- 

 priation of only $150,000, a deficit of nearly $3,000,000 

 was incurred. Under less favorable conditions, the 

 situation this year, which passes for a relatively good 

 one as fire seasons go, might easily have been equally 

 bad. Will Congress never learn that in so vital a matter 

 as the protection of our National Forests from fire it 

 is true economy to appropriate at least reasonably near 

 the amount that experience has indicated will actually 

 be needed? 



"THERE ALWAYS WILL BE LUMBER" 



/"Y\'E of the lumber trade journals comments editorially 

 ^-^ as follows : "In spite of all that is heard about the 

 difficulties of the manufacturers there always is lumber 

 AND THERE ALWAYS WILL BE LUMBER." Prob- 

 ably there will. We hope so at any rate. But the ques- 

 tion is will there be enough lumber; what will be its 



quality ; how far shall we have to transport it ; and what 

 will it cost? 



Somehow, we cannot feel entire confidence as to the 

 abundance of fviture supplies of lumber when we reflect 

 that we are now cutting or otherwise destroying our 

 forests more than four times as fast as they are growing. 



