FOREST FIRES IN NORTH CAROLINA 



59 



CAUSES OF FOREST FIRES 



The principal causes of forest fires as given by the various corre- 

 spondents for their own townships have been compiled. They are given 

 in percentages in Table 6, and are compared with similar figures for 

 the two preceding years. 



TABLE 6— CAUSES OF FOREST FIRES IN THE DIFFERENT REGIONS OF NORTH 

 CAROLINA IN 1911 COMPARED WITH FORMER YEARS. IN PERCENTAGES. 



Farmers burning brush, grass, rubbish, etc 



Hunters ^ 



Cigars, cigarettes, matches, etc 



Carelessness and negligence of individuals 



Railroad locomotives, sparks from _. 



Logging locomotives, dummy engines, etc 



Sawmills, etc — - - 



Traction engines 



Accidental, caught from burning buildings, etc. 



To improve the range 



Set by chestnut gatherers, root diggers, etc 



Without much object, to see it burn, etc 



Malice or incendiary 



Unknown causes 



Lightning- - 



Fishing camp fires 



Moun- 

 tain 



Pied- 

 mont 



Coas- 

 tal 



The two most notable facts that can be gathered from the above table 

 are: (1) The large proportion of fires which are started from farmers 

 carelessly burning brush, grass, and rubbish in the spring; (2) the large 

 and increasing percentage of fires started by railroads. 



As can be seen by a glance at the first four items in the table, fires 

 caused by carelessness and negligence of the individual constitute about 

 one-half of the total causes given. Practically all of the fires under the 

 fourth heading should be attributed to one of the three former causes 

 and probably most of them to the carelessness of farmers in clearing up 

 farm land in the spring. It is this carelessness of farmers and renters, 

 assisted by the usual high winds and frequently by dry weather, that 

 makes the spring months by far the most dangerous, fires at this time of 

 the year being more frequent and much more destructive than at any 

 other season. 



The following table, compiled from replies from the correspondents 

 to the question "In what month or months did the worst forest fires occur 



