FOREST FIRES IN MAINE. 



THE BUREAU OF FORESTRY WILL 

 COOPERATE WITH THE STATE IN A 

 STUDY OF THEIR CAUSES AND RE- 

 SULTS AND FOR THEIR PREVENTION. 



LAST year Maine, like some other 

 Eastern States, had the most dis- 

 astrous fires in its history. A timberland 

 area of more than a quarter million acres 

 was burned over, entailing a loss beyond 

 a million dollars. Drouth, unprecedented 

 in severity, had prevailed from April 8 

 to June 9, and the forests were in a 

 most inflammable condition . There were 

 within sixty days 260 different fires in 

 the burned-over districts. In strong 

 contrast with the experience of New 

 York in the Adirondacks, only three of 

 these are positively known to have been 

 of incendiary origin. Maine had just 

 put into operation a new law amendatory 

 of its forest fire warden service. But for 

 the more efficient work done under this 

 law, the fire loss would have been much 

 greater. 



To secure the information which may 

 form the basis for protective measures 

 against future losses on such a scale, and 

 ascertain what can be done to repair the 

 damage already suffered, the state au- 

 thorities have arranged for a cooperative 

 fire study of the Maine forests by the 

 Bureau of Forestry of the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. In accordance 

 with its usual terms of cooperative work, 

 the Bureau will share equally with the 

 state the field expenses of this study. 

 Five men have been assigned to it, and 

 the work in the field will be prosecuted 

 through the remainder of the summer. 



The Bureau of Forestry fire study in- 

 cludes in its scope everything pertaining 

 to the occurrence, results, prevention, 

 and amelioration of the effects of forest 

 fires in any region. The field force 

 gathers from every responsible source 

 evidence concerning the causes of the 

 fires, the area burned over, and the dam- 

 age done. Every statement of witnesses 

 is verified, so far as possible, by personal 

 investigation on the ground. It is as- 

 certained whether anti-fire laws are re- 

 spected or violated, and the attitude of 



people in the neighborhood is learned 

 whether because of, or despite their occu- 

 pations they dread and will fight fires, or 

 whether they think them of little conse- 

 quence, and perhaps rather wink at their 

 occurrence ; for local sentiment is the 

 most powerful agency for causing or 

 controlling forest fires. The fire risk to 

 which capital invested in standing tim- 

 ber is exposed is at best under most con- 

 ditions a very formidable hazard. It 

 combines inflammability, exposure from 

 camp fires, smudges, careless smokers 

 and railroads, and scanty means of pro- 

 tection all the qualities which insur- 

 ance companies avoid in other risks. 

 With the local population indifferent or 

 hostile, the preservation of the forest is 

 almost hopeless. The agents of the Bu- 

 reau of Forestry are generally most effi- 

 cient missionaries wherever they go, 

 arousing the people with whom they 

 come in contact to the interest of the 

 community in preventing and putting 

 out fires. From the data which they 

 obtain advice is given as to enactment of 

 more stringent laws, patrol regulations, 

 and methods of fire-fighting. 



The results following forest fires are 

 studied to determine whether or not 

 burned-over lands can be made again to 

 produce a forest crop. The first inquiry 

 here is, How badly has the forest been 

 injured? If only the young growth 

 has been killed, the problem is very 

 different from that presented when the 

 ground is swept clean of forest. In the 

 former case, if there are enough seed- 

 bearing trees left, nature requires only 

 protection while she does her work of 

 reforestation. But if the ground has 

 been clean swept, she must be materially 

 assisted if proper forest conditions and 

 growth are to be reestablished within 

 any reasonable space of time. 



The field party in Maine will first in- 

 vestigate the extent of damage which 

 fire has done to the forests. Next it 



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