22 Forest Fires and their Prevention. 



According to tlie above table, intentional fires are most frequent in 

 the Mountain region, where thirty-seven per cent are said to be pur- 

 posely set. This is a large proportion, though it is an improvement over 

 the report for the previous year, which showed that in the mountains 

 nearly half the fires were set on purpose. This large number of inten- 

 tional fires is in part due to the destructive habit of burning the woods 

 to' "improve the range" for loose cattle, which ought to be confined to 

 their owner's land, and in part to an unfortunate feeling of antagonism 

 in some localities against large landowners who are trying to protect 

 their forests. The large increase in malicious" or incendiary fires all 

 over the State is a regrettable feature of the 1910 figures and one tliat 

 is not easy to explain. It indicates very clearly, however, tliat more 

 stringent laws and better law enforcement are needed in order to check 

 this nuisance. 



PREVENTIVE A>D PROTECTIVE MEASURES. 



We have in Xorth Carolina a reported loss from forest fires in 1910 

 of $560,000. This report covers only one-third, of the townships of the 

 State, and does not include injury to standing timber, damaged, but not 

 killed ; to young growth ; to soil and streams by any of the fires. There 

 can be little doubt, therefore, that the total loss through forest fires in 

 ]^orth Carolina during 1910 amounted to at least a million dollars. In 

 addition to this there was very serious loss of life from the same cause. 

 Is it not time that North Carolina as a State, and we as individuals, 

 took some steps to abate this nuisance? 



If there was any one measure that would stop these fires we could 

 easily be persuaded to adopt it, but, unfortunately, there is no such spe- 

 cific. There is, however, much that we can all do and the following 

 preventive and protective measures are strongly advocated. 



private measures. 

 The OAvner of woodland, Avhether a corporation or a ])rivate individ- 

 ual, can do much towards protecting his property from fire, though to 

 achieve the greatest success all such efforts should have the hearty 

 co-operation of the community and the State. Fire lines cleared out 

 around or through a property are very effective in stopping a moderate 

 fire. When a strong wind is blowing and the fire is very heavy, such a 

 fire line is invaluable as a vantage ground from which to start a back 

 fire. Adequate fire lines can be constructed at from $10 to $50 per mile, 

 according to the nature of the ground over which it has to be made. 

 Such a fire line has been made over the rough mountain country of 

 northeast McDowell County at less than the higher figure. 



