208 



EEPOKT OF THE 



Xo. 3 



forest protection and the administration of timber matters have been consolidated 

 under thik Branch. This opens the way for organization of the field force on a 

 j)ermanent^basis, with all tJie ensuing benefits. 



But theXcrux of the problem of forest fire control is the slash and debris 

 resulting from present logging methods. Year after jQar new large areas Oi.' 

 slash are allowed to be created; these are most inflammable, and make extremely 

 hot fires which are largely uncontrollable till they reach green timber. Eacli 

 succeeding season large sums of money are spent to handle this situation of our 

 own making. Until brush disposal is systematically undertaken as an integr:'.! 

 part of the operation of logging our forests will burn. 



CLASSIFICATION OF FOREST FIRES 



By month 



Month P1920 1919 1918 1917 



May 



June 



July...... 



August . . . 

 September 



Totals.. 



No. 

 449 

 320 

 158 

 117 

 66 



1,110 



Origin 



By Origin 



1920 I 1919 I 1918 1917 



Settlers 



Campers 



Railways 



Lightning 



Logging op'ns . . 

 Miscellaneous . . 

 Unknown 



8.2 



13.9 



49.5 



2.9 



4.1 



3.6 



17.8 



100.0 



4)i*» 



BY SIZE 



-' f : Jn'.;tl|ie spring of 1920 the snow disappeared very early and rapidly. Very 

 -uhiisu&l; Isreath^?' conditions then set in and for practically two- months no ram 

 ''fellr.!:(iDyjri»g t'hi&"pi^X*od" nearly sixty per cent, of the Season's fires vs^ere recorded. 

 if .'Mailkvay Fires. -*-DeieQt\\e Idcomotives and careless railway employees were 

 responsibleidr. 23.9 per cent, of 'the total number of fires from all causes. As 

 shown in the above table the percentage of fires of railway origin has steadily 

 .dedtease'd'year'-by year till now it is one-half of what it was in 1917. This is 

 chtc la-rgely to the increasingly special attention given to the locomotive inspection 

 end of our w6rk'. 



