Forestry and Irrigation. 



Vol. VIII. 



NOVEMBER, 1902. 



No. II, 



NEWS AND NOTES. 



Meeting's. The twenty-first annual 



meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Forestry Association will be held 

 in Washington on Wednesday, Decem- 

 ber 10. The election of officers, presen- 

 tation of reports by the board of direct- 

 ors and treasurer, and such other busi- 

 ness as requires to come before the entire 

 Association will be transacted. 



The second annual meeting of the 

 Iowa Park and Forestry Association will 

 be held at Des Moines, Iowa, December 

 8 and 9. 



The forty-fifth annual meeting of the 

 Missouri Horticultural Society will be 

 held at Springfield, Mo., December 2-4. 



^ 



To Prevent 

 Forest Fires. 



The immense losses 

 caused by forest fires in 

 Oregon and Washing- 

 ton during September, a detailed ac- 

 count of which is printed elsewhere in 

 this number, has aroused lumbermen 

 and property-owners generally in the 

 northwest to the seriousness of the fire 

 question. Later reports show that the 

 losses from these fires was much greater 

 than was at first supposed. 



The trade press, so often silent in such 

 matters for fear of disturbing business 

 conditions, has taken up the fire ques- 

 tion. The Pacific Lumber Trade Journal 

 for October contains a summary of the 

 losses in the recent fire and calls for ac- 

 tion by the people of Oregon and Wash- 

 ington. This number also contains a 

 number of replies to a circular letter 

 sent out to representative lumbermen 

 by the editor, Mr. Beckman, asking for 

 suggestions for the prevention of fires. 

 The following is an extract from Mr. 

 Beckman 's letter: 



' ' Suggestions of proper remedies 

 have been numerous, some taking the 



position that there should be a patrol of 

 timbered regions during the warm parts 

 of the year, the timber owners to pay 

 all the expenses of such a system, while 

 others believe that the aid of the govern- 

 ment should be sought. The former 

 seems to be possible, but it is quite likely 

 that the government will do nothing ex- 

 cept what will protect its own reserves. 

 It is a question for the people of this 

 state to settle, and that being the case 

 we wish you to help us in starting a 

 movement that may bring invaluable 

 results. 



"The impression prevails to some 

 extent that the fires are started by ranch- 

 ers, who in burning brush while clear- 

 ing their land are not sufficiently careful 

 to prevent the fires getting beyond their 

 control ; but it must be remembered that 

 some of the worst fires have originated 

 in logging camps, and that all need to 

 be careful. It is a question on which 

 all should get together for the good of 

 the states." 



The Oregon Timbcrman has also taken 

 up the matter, and in its October num- 

 ber prints a number of letters on the fire 

 question from prominent lumbermen. 

 The Timberman concludes its leading 

 editorial as follows : 



"There is neither sense nor justice 

 in attempting to disguise these self- 

 apparent facts, and if the owners of 

 timber lands and the people of Oregon 

 and Washington in general will awaken 

 to a realization of these dangers and 

 pass remedial laws, the lesson learned 

 b}- the 1902 fires will not have been too 

 dearly bought." 



The trade press can do much to arouse 

 the people to action on the fire question ; 

 the example set by The Pacific Lumber 

 Trade fournal and The Oregon Tiinber- 



