118 FISH AND GAME LAWS. 
appreciable period of time, cause decided deprecia- 
tion in the value of the standing timber, and re- 
peated ground fires over the same area cause a 
reversion of type from valuable forest to waste 
brush land such as every traveler in northern Cali- 
fornia is familiar with. 
Is the Forest Service guaranteeing reasonable 
safety from fire ? Take these figures : 
The average annual number of fires recorded for 
the three years ending December 31, 1910, was 519. 
The average area burned over by each one of these 
fires during the same period was 391 acres. The 
average annual money loss to the forests was 
$292,730.00. For the two years ending December 31, 
1912, the average number of fires each year was 
805 ; the average area burned over per fire, 
96 acres ; and the average annual money loss 
$33,475.00. - 
During the season just closed, under entirely ab- 
normal conditions, when the service fire protective 
system was up against one of the worst summers 
known as regards climatic conditions, the total 
money loss caused by 1,623 fires was $35,733.37, 
and the average area burned per fire was only 86J 
acres. 
These records show that the Forest Service fire 
machine is getting stronger and more efficient year 
by year. The system is satisfactory; it remains 
only to perfect it. 
Wild game and fish are other resources of the 
mountain forests that belong primarily to the people 
of the State of California. The Forest Service has 
undertaken to aid in game and fish protection at 
the request of the State Fish and Came Commis- 
sion, and through co-operation with it. By this 
co-operative arrangement, all “year long’’ men in 
the field force of the service in California are 
