174 



Third Annual Report of the 



of 1911 was a dangerous fire season, and the conditions which 

 prevailed throughout the season of 1913 were those of unusual 

 drought with an attendant fire danger equaled only, within 

 recent years, by the seasons of 1903 and 1908. 



The value of the observation stations as aids to the fire patrol 

 force has been demonstrated beyond a doubt. During the year 

 1912, an average fire year, with a territory assigned to each 

 ranger of approximately 100,000 acres, the entire cost of fire 

 protection was about nine tenths of a cent per acre, and less 

 than one-tenth of one percent of the area under protection was 

 burned over. 



If we compare the three years of great drought, namely, 1903, 

 1908, and 1913, the efficiency of the present system is immedi- 

 ately seen. The damage caused by the fires of 1903 was $864,- 

 082; during 1908, $802,135, while in 1913, under similar condi- 

 tions, it was but $51,445. The area burned in 1903 was 464,189 

 acres; in 1908, 368,072; and in 1913, 54,796 acres. The change 

 in organization effected in 1909 has not only resulted in reducing 

 the acreage burned by 85 per cent, and the damage by 94 per 

 cent., but also has reduced the cost of extinguishing fires from 

 $189,660 in 1908 to $96,122 in 1913. The figure for the latter 

 year includes the entire cost of the ranger force and the expenses 

 for extra help hired to fight fires. 



Bearing in mind that the years 1908 and 1913 are comparable 

 as regards fire danger, the following tabulation of the forest fires 

 of the last six years is a fair test of the usefulness of the present 

 system. 



YEAR 



Number 

 of fires 

 reported 



Tctal 

 acreage 

 burned 



Sty to 



land 



burned 



Total 

 damage 



Average 

 ocreage 

 burned 

 per fire 



Average 

 damage 

 per fire 



Number 

 of obser- 

 vation 

 stations 



1908 



1909 



1910 



1911 



1912 



1913 



605 



307 

 277 

 506 

 383 

 688 



368,072 

 11,759 

 12,680 

 37.9C9 

 6,990 

 54,796 



54,912 



198 



1,570 



6,794 



629 



11,437 



$802,135 

 23,126 

 17,803 

 43,664 

 11,340 

 51,455 



6C8 

 38 

 46 

 73 

 18 

 79 



$1,326 

 75 

 64 

 86 

 30 

 75 





 15 

 20 

 36 

 49 

 50 



The ranger force has rendered efficient service in the enforce- 

 ment of the fire laws. They have cautioned persons going into the 



