74 Third Annual Report of the 



FIRE! 



THE DANGER FROM FOREST FIRES IS ALWAYS GREAT 



The records show that an exceptionally bad fire season comes 

 about once in every four or five years. In New York State the 

 years 1899, 1903 and 1908 were marked by the most disastrous 

 forest fires the State has every known. In each of the years 1903 

 and 1908 THE DAMAGE AMOUNTED T0"^1,000,000^; that is, 

 property and timber worth that amount were actually destroyed. 



HOW ABOUT 1913? 



The light fall of snow last winter disappeared much earlier 

 than usual this spring. The period of greatest fire danger, that is, 

 from the time the snow leaves the ground to the time when 

 vegetation becomes green, is lengthened and the danger intensified. 



The Conservation Commission is doing its best to prevent forest 

 fires, but IT NEEDS THE HELP OF EVERY PERSON WHO GOES 

 INTO THE FOREST FOR BUSINESS OR PLEASURE TO MAKE 

 ITS WORK EFFECTIVE. 



The magnitude of the problem is indicated by the fact that in 

 New York State alone industries dependent upon wood manu- 

 facture products worth 



$4,000,000 



annually and employ 200,000 persons. Twenty per cent, of 

 the capital of the country is invested in wood industries. 



When timber is destroyed by forest fires a loss is caused, not 

 only to the owner of the timberland, but also to EVERY MEMBER 

 OF THE COMMUNITY. The sum of $20 is spent to convert a 

 thousand board feet of logs into the various products which are put 

 upon the market. Practically all of this expenditure is in the 

 form of wages paid to the persons employed in working up the 

 timber into its final form. 



In each of the years 1903 and 1908 over 800,000 ACRES OF 

 TIMBERLAND WERE DAMAGED BY FIRE IN NEW YORK STATE 

 ALONE. 



Some of this area was covered by virgin forests. The best 

 estimates obtainable show that 4,000,000,000 BOARD FEET OF 

 TIMBER, an amount equal to FOUR TIMES the annual lumber cut, 

 WERE DESTROYED BY FIRE IN EACH OF THOSE YEARS, 

 CAUSING A TOTAL LOSS OF $80,000,000. 



