4 
COVER TYPE AND FIRE CONTROL 33 
TasieE 17.—Cost of suppressing general-risk fires in different forest types, in relation 
to difficulty of control, cost of fires, and degree of accomplishment (percentage of 
C’s), and percentage of area burned annually, 1911-1920, 12 timbered forests 
Cost of | Fires Total Cost Class Cost Area 
t per acre : 
Type average ‘Gave 1 000 C of A baeied 
, , per 
ai acres acres year fires fires | annually 
Ree 
Dollars | Number | Dollars | Dollars | Per cent | Dollars | Per cent 
Western yellow pine__________-- 57. 80 67.9 3, 920 0. 0039 20. 8 5. 03 0. 87 
Mixediconiter = 29). at 5 49. 830 79, 1 3, 940 . 0039 1.1 5. 07 Sb5 
ae Plas ieee anne 94. 20 54. 7 5, 150 . 0052 29.1 5. 90 718 
Sugar pinesnies Se So} ceed | is 68. 10 44, 4 3, 020 . 0030 19.9 4. 60 41 
eee ei 8 TE Ae 46. 00 45.7 2, 100 . 0021 9.9 4.15 H 
Gos Peete Paes ok Lon ee 54. 70 33. 0 1, 800 0018 35. 0 3. 61 . 58 
(CANE) OR 72) oS See eed ee 117. 60 55. 6 6, 540 0065 Yi 10. 39 3. 00 
Wood inridreer es toe ee wee 94. 20 31.1 2, 930 6029 33. 4 2. 82 . 83 
Brushes sel h En tess Ba 97. 06 49.1 4, 760 0048 34.8 7. 54 1, 24 
INVETAGG 4321 32 Ea 64. 60 59.3 3, 830 0038 23.8 5. 20 0. 80 
SUMMARY BY TYPE GROUPS 
2.4| 3,920} 0.0039 20.9 | 
Sar 
Grass;woodland=*.— = = | 78. 21 
OTHERS Ey ea et oy mE 54. 20 7 5. 05 0. 74 
Sugar pine-fir, Douglas fir, fir___ 67. 60 48. 3, 290 . 0033 Serge 4.73 .40 
NMIgiper es. Ga LOU eam OOse | ey CO |__ .0037 20. 2 4, 98 . 64 
Brush, chaparral______--------- | 101.00 50.1|  5,080|  . 0051 38. 6 7.90 1.52 
| 31.8| 2490] 0025 34.0| 3.15 67 
Data on presuppression costs for the different types are not avail- 
able, though in a broad way probably the average elapsed time 
(Table 15) measures approximately the intensity of protection in the 
various types. A comparison of the timber types on this basis 
indicates that western yellow pine has had the closest protection and 
fir the least. 
CONCLUSIONS 
Study of the nine major cover types of the California pine region 
reveals distinct and characteristic differences between them, many of 
which have a direct bearing upon fire danger, 1 in their influence upon 
risk of fire starting, available fuel, type of fire, rate of spread of fire, 
ease of control, accessibility of fire, and so on. Thus type differences, 
which are in turn the reflection of differences in climatic conditions 
throughout the region, are an important key to further refinements of 
the methods of fire control. 
I’xamples of the close relation of type differences to specific prob- 
lems in the prevention and suppression of fires are very evident in the 
data presented. For one thing, the discussion has emphasized the 
large number of incendiary fires i in chaparral and brush, a considera- 
tion that may well be of value in promoting specific fire-preventi tion 
and law-enforcement measures. The differences in the length of fire 
season in the different types, varying from five and two-thirds months 
in chaparral to four months in fir, 1s a valuable indication in placing 
fire guards. The rate of spread and difficulty of control, indicated 
chiefly by index figures, vary in the ratio of more than 50 to 1 between 
the most difficult and the easiest types to protect. The study of the 
difficulty cf control alone, as measured by the cost of class A fires, 
