THE FIRE PROTECTION ON THE 

 NATIONAL FORESTS IN 1914 



By Henry S. Graves 



THE season of 1914 has been one separated by long intervals of drought 



of very grave emergency in would be a less favorable season for 



preventing destructive forest fire protection than a smaller aggregate 



fires in the National Forests, amount of rain falling at more frequent 



The hazard in the heavily timbered intervals. A further factor is the depth 



portion of the Rocky Mountain and of the winter snow, for with a light 



Pacific slope regions has been in many snowfall the ground is exposed early in 



ways the greatest since the establish- the spring. An early spring, especially 



ment of the National Forests. The when accompanied by rains, means a 



conditions of drought and other factors vigorous herbaceous vegetation which 



of forest fire hazard were fully equal in matures and dries up early ; it then 



severity to those of 1910, the year of the becomes inflammable and a source of 



disastrous Idaho fire, and in many sec- danger. Still another factor of im- 



tions the danger was even worse than portance is the behavior of the wind, 



during that year. In certain places on the Pacific coast, 



During the season more than 6,000 the easterly winds are the dry and 



fires threatened the National Forests, dangerous winds. A dry wind lasting 



or 1,000 fires more than occurred in for only a day or two dries out the 



1910. To put out these fires and to forest with great rapidity and an emerg- 



prevent others from starting the Forest ency immediately results. Still again, 



Service has been put to the severest the condition of the nights may influence 



test in its history. That it met this the hazard. In some sections the 



test successfully is indicated by the fact principal fire fighting has to be done at 



that the damage to timber this year is night. If it cools off and the wind dies 



less than 4% of the damage done in down, it is much easier to get control of 



1910. the fires than where the nights are hot 



The past season has definitely demon- and windy, 



strated that while we cannot expect During the winter of 1914 there was a 



entirely to prevent forest fires from relatively small fall of snow. There 



starting, their damage can be kept down was, therefore, an early spring through- 



to a small amount provided there is an out the northwestern and Pacific coast 



efficient organization and adequate regions. In certain parts of California, 



funds to meet every emergency swiftly as, for example, in Modoc County, the 



and effectively. vegetation started growing five weeks 



earlier than in the normal season. In 



seasonal conditions some sections fires began to occur in 



The factors which create a season of May, although the conditions did not 



large forest fire risk are variable and become serious until early July. In 



often complex. Primarily, the risk north central Idaho no rain fell from 



depends on the frequency of soaking July 4 until September 7, a dry spell 



rains. If there are good rains, well 17 days longer than in 1910. In the 



distributed through the season, the north Pacific Coast region there was a 



danger from fire is small. The hazard continuous drought for over 70 days, 



depends also to a certain extent on the which is the longest in history. During 



total aggregate of rainfall during the this period of excessive drought there 



season. The total precipitation, how- were unusually high temperatures, high 



ever, does not always indicate conditions drying winds, and in many sections 



of drought, for a few very heavy storms exceptionally dry nights. It was the 



47 



