FOREST FIRES IN EUROPE 



123 



in the United States except perhaps in the high mountain country 

 of the west, will resemble those of Europe. 



Here the fire danger is no longer considered a serious difficulty 

 in forestry and all large owners, state and private, do not even feel 

 the necessity of fire insurance. The following figures will illustrate : 



Damage from Forest Fires :* 



Total area of forest, million acres. . . 

 Total gross income, million dollars. . 

 Net income per acre, approximate $. 

 Value of forests on basis of 3% and 



net income, million dollars 



Damage from forest fires $1000 



For each 100,000 acres of forest the 



fires burned over, acres 



For every $iooo gross income fire 



damage is in dollars 



For every million dollars worth of 



forest damage is $ 



Average n-umber of fires per year. .. 

 Average area burned over each year, 



acres 



Austria 



not 

 Hungary. 

 1881-1895 



24.27 

 3ot 

 o.30± 



240 

 35 



1. 16 

 137 



3420 



In the statistical works for Wiirttemberg and Baden the damage 

 by forest fires is not even mentioned. While it is evident from the 

 foregoing that large forest owners have little reason to seek insur- 

 ance, the case is different for the great number of small owners. 

 For this reason forest fire insurance was discussed and planned as 

 early as 1877 by Burckhardt and the matter agitated from that time 

 to this. 



Insurance by the state, by cooperation of forest owners and by 

 commercial concerns, all have been discussed. 



* See Endres Forst Politik, also Forstliche Verhaltnisse Preussens 

 VViirttemburg, etc. 



t May be a little high since it is based on income in state forests and 

 averaged for a number of years. 



