300 REPORT OF THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE 



Up to 1905, legislation aiming to prevent forest fires was vainly sought. 

 In that year, owing to the active interest of Governor Edward C. Stokes, a 

 Forest Commission was appointed, and the following year a revised law was 

 enacted and a State forest fire warden appointed. 



From time to time the laws have been changed as experience dictated and 

 the organization improved. At present the State force consists of 



1 State Fire Warden. 



4 Division Fire Wardens. 

 110 Township Fire Wardens. 

 151 District Fire Wardens. 



The division fire wardens are salaried and are appointed and paid by the 

 State. The township and district fire wardens receive a small fixed sum annually 

 in addition to the amount paid them while engaged in fighting fire. 



The present appropriation of $15,000 in the opinion of the State Forester, 

 is as much as the State should be asked to contribute. Further expenditures 

 should be borne by the towns and landowners. 



Three lookout stations equipped with towers and telephones are now main- 

 tained, two by the State alone, and one in co-operation with the United States 

 Government through the Weeks law appropriation. 



A feature of protective work in New Jersey is the determined effort of the 

 State rigidly to enforce the law. In 1912, 352 cases were prosecuted, a majority 

 of the offenders penalized by fines, and in a few instances by jail sentences. 



The chief cause of fires in New Jersey is the railroads, and the attitude of 

 the State is to put the burden of prevention and control on the companies. 



NEW MEXICO 



THE State has a timbered area of some 13,000,000 acres, and a gross Na- 

 tional Forest area of a little over 10,000,000 acres. 

 On National Forest lands a well organized protective force is main- 

 tained with telephone lines, lookout points, caches of fire fighting tools, etc. 



On privately owned and State owned land practically nothing has been 

 undertaken. Though like Arizona the fire problem is largely in the hands of 

 the National Forests, there are a few companies and the State owning consider- 

 able tracts of timber land. 



Statistics for the past five years show that an average of over 26,000 acres 

 are burned over annually in New Mexico. 



Forest fires in the State owing to the character of the timber, are compara- 

 tively easy to control. With proper co-operation between all agencies, and 

 public opinion strongly against burning they can be largely eliminated. 



Owning timber land as it does, the State could well afford to have a State 

 Forester and State Board of Forestry as well as adequate laws pertaining to 

 setting of fires. Such a body if given sufficient funds could by working in 

 conjunction with the Forest Service greatly stimulate protection, properly look 

 after State holdings, and perform real service along lines of sentiment making. 



