268 REPORT OP the; forestry committee 



property at a date prior to that when laws regarding forest fires were enacted by 

 States and work taken up by the Federal Government. Such assumption is 

 unquestionably correct, for, without some more or less active interest in the 

 matter, laws would never have been passed. Lacking organized and systematic 

 action, however, along any line, reliable data is pretty sure to be missing. 



In fire protection, as in other matters, action and interest have gone hand 

 in hand with increased realization of the value of the material in question. 



When the national forests were put under administration, one of the first 

 matters taken up was a study of means for the elimination of fire damage. This 

 work was not systematized and made effective until 1905, when the care of these 

 lands was placed in the hands of the Department of Agriculture, which at once 

 began and has since been continually demonstrating that fire loss can be largely 

 done away with, if the forces are properly organized and sufficient men are 

 employed. 



Except for the past few years, it is difficult to trace the development of fire 

 protection by private owners. 



At first some owners began to fight fire when it seriously threatened their 

 property. They then began having camp foremen or ranchers on the lookout for 

 fires, and, if one started, these men were authorized to take necessary measures 

 to put it out. After this came putting on a few patrolmen to watch campers and 

 fishermen, perfection of spark arresters on logging engines, and matters of this 

 kind, and then fairly intensive patrols maintained by private owners, each work- 

 ing individually. Soon it became apparent that fire was no respecter of property 

 lines, and owners in the same watershed began, in many cases, to jointly hire 

 patrolmen. After this came the general co-operative patrol idea, where owners 

 of a whole State or county banded together and put on the necessary patrol. 

 Since this has been done statistics of fire damage have been available. 



But the co-operative patrol plan is not applicable in all sections. It works 

 well wherever there is vast timber wealth in the hands of private owners. In 

 some States this is not the condition, and the history and development of fire 

 protection can only be traced through State legislation in the matter. In still 

 other States the national forests contain nearly all of the timber, and private and 

 State effort is little needed. The development of systems of protection has been 

 so gradual that to trace it, giving dates and occurrences, is almost impossible, but 

 its progress may be arranged as follows : 



1. General realization that standing timber should be protected against 

 destruction by fire. 



2. More systematic agitation of forest protection by the Government, 

 public spirited citizens and organizations. 



3. Fighting of fires when particularly dangerous by private owners or 

 States. 



4. Creation of national forests and the institution of protective measures 

 on these areas. 



5. Unsystematic patrol to prevent fire by individual private owners. 



6. Organized and carefully worked out patrols by the Government and 

 by private owners, often with State assistance to the latter, and a careful 

 campaign of public education through the press and other agencies. 



