54 FOREST FIRES. 



1st. Opposition to forest flres. 



2iid. Use of fire in forests to control forest fires. 



We sliould not leave this part of the fire question without calling 

 attention to a customary exaggeration of the damage done by forest 

 fires. Several estimates of suf;h damage have been current within the 

 last few years. All of these have been based on a large estimate of 

 the entire forest area, both cut and uncut, over which fire has run 

 during the year, and then taking the ground that wherever fire has 

 run the forest has been destroyed. This is not correct. The majority 

 of forest fires in California do not destroy the forests they traverse. 

 Damage is done and much waste takes place, especially in territory 

 long protected. From time to time important areas of forest are killed 

 out. There is an immense district of dead fire-burned forest in 

 Western Oregon of this kind. I traveled through an extensive fire- 

 killed forest in 1873 in Utah, and have seen many smaller forest tracts 

 fire-killed. The truth is bad enough. We need no exaggeration to 

 impress upon the people the danger of uncontrolled fire. 



