Conservation Commission. 77 



forest fires. 



Although, the year 1912 has been marked by much more rainfall 

 than the previous year, there was however, a long period of dry 

 weather in certain portions of the State during the months of 

 June and July. The fire danger in portions of Warren, Essex 

 and Franklin counties was unrelieved by any rainfall for a period 

 of many weeks at this time, and residents of those sections stated 

 that they had never seen the country as dry as it was during the 

 latter part of June. The excellent showing in fire protection this 

 year redounds greatly to the credit of our fire fighting force. The 

 rangers have transmitted to this office complete reports of every 

 forest fire which has occurred in the area under our protection, 

 embracing seventy-seven towns in the Adirondack Preserve and 

 nineteen towns in the Catskill Preserve, the aggregate acreage of 

 this being approximately seven million two hundred thirty-two 

 thousand acres. The data contained in these reports have been 

 compiled in two tables, one of which gives the forest fires and 

 losses for the year by counties, and the other by causes. They are 

 transmitted herewith. 



A statement of the forest fires occurring in a given region or 

 a classification of reports according to causes is of utmost im- 

 portance in planning a system of future fire protection for a 

 specific region or in an endeavor to reduce consequent loss by 

 eliminating the cause if possible. 



The number of forest fires which occurred during the past year 

 was three hundred eighty-three, which was but sixty-five per cent 

 of the number which occurred in 1911. The efficiency of the fire 

 fighting force is indicated by the exceedingly small number of 

 large fires. Out of the total number of fires reported, all except 

 fifteen were checked before they had burned over one hundred 

 acres. The total area burned during the current year is only 

 twenty per cent of that for 1911, and the consequent expense of 

 fighting fires has been reduced by more than three-fifths. The 

 damage done by fires decreased approximately seventy-five per 

 cent, or from forty-three thousand to about eleven thousand 

 dollars. Furthermore, the number of acres of virgin timber land 

 which was damaged by fire was but one hundred eighty-five acres. 

 Of the total area under protection less than seven thousand acres 

 or one-tenth of one per cent suffered from fire. 



