304 REPORT OP THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE 



The officers of the patrol associations consist of a president, vice president, 

 secretary and treasurer and a board of usually five directors. The office of 

 Secretary and Treasurer is generally filled by one person who undertakes the 

 work because of interest in it and receives a salary of $800.00 to $300.00 annually. 

 Other officers receive no renumeration. 



Such an association takes charge of all protection work in a county or 

 counties, pays all wardens, builds necessary trails and telephone lines and fights 

 all fires. The owner of 160 acres pays on the same basis in accordance with his 

 acreage as the one with 10,000 acres, and has the same voice in the aflfairs of 

 the organization. 



By co-operating with the State it is often possible jointly to employ a head 

 warden and some patrolmen, in this way eliminating expense to both agencies 

 and increasing the efficiency of both. 



Where private and Forest Service patrols are both interested in protecting 

 a zone of timber, this is done under co-operative agreement, one or the other 

 agency taking charge of the patrol of the area, the other agency paying its proper 

 share of the expense of the work. 



Private owners keep in the field a force of about 250 paid wardens and 

 expend during the normal year approximately $125,000.00 for patrol and 

 improvements. 



It will be seen from the foregoing figures that in the State of Oregon the 

 combined fire protection forces employ the following number of paid wardens 

 and expend the following amounts in protection work. 



Wardens Employed Funds Expended 



Forest Service 345 $100,000.00* 



State and Week's Law 90 47,500.00t 



Private Owners 250 125,000.001 



Total 685 $272,500.00 



In addition to the local patrol associations, a State association, the Oregon 

 Forest Fire Association is maintained by timber owners. This association serves 

 as a clearing house for all matters relating to protection by private owners in 

 the State. It also suggests from time to time needed legislation, and keeps its 

 members informed of activities of other States and other sections of its own 

 State in forest matters. The organization is represented on the State Board of 

 Forestry, and does necessary publicity work looking to better realization of 

 need for protection. 



CONCIvUSIONS 



In view of the few years which have elapsed since systematic protection has 

 been taken up in the State progress has been extremely rapid. The patrol force 

 is for the most part adequate and except during an unusually bad year it would 

 now be impossible for large losses of timber to occur. 



* Does not include cost of building trails, telephone lines, cabins, etc. 

 t Includes cost of maintaining the State Forester's office. 

 t Includes patrol, fire fighting and improvement work. 



