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About The Coos Bay times. (Marshfield, Or.) 1906-1957 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 1907)
Kf fcfc r &''' i- V v h ry. ' 1. ' FOREST FIRE PROTECTION Showing From Actual Experience at What Small Outlay Effective Measures May Be Taken To Guard Against the Nemesis of Timbermen Almost invariably tho flr3t step toward a wise use of tho forest Is Its protection from fire. This Is par ticularly truo of the forests of the Sierras In California. Here the Are danger Is unusually great, and fires have been so prevalent that they have come to bo regarded almost as a necessary evil. The Forest Service In 1904 madc a thorough study of forest conditions and their relation to fire on the tract of the McCloud Itlver Lumber Com pany, in Siskiyou County. The ob ject of the study was prlmailly to de vise a practical scheme of fire protec tion, particular' for the logged lands on which fire Is most prevalent. Its results, upon which tho plan outlined in this report was based, show: (1) That by proper care and the execu tion of certain measures it is possi ble to decrease, or even to eliminate, the danger from forest fires; (2) that such protective measures may be carried out at a reasonable cost; and (3) that the results in most cases will fully justify the necessary ex penditures. After the preparation of the plan, its execution was under taken by the Service in cooperation with the company. Tho lands of the McCloud River Lumber Company are situated in Siskiyou County, Cal., near the town of McCloud. The tract Is on a level plateau at the base of Mount Shasta, at an elevation of about 3.-000 feet. Its era Is approximately 300,000 acres. The rainfall during the per iod between the last of September and the middle of May amounts to about 40 inches. On the other hand, practically no rain falls during the summer months, and these constitute tho season of fire danger. The tract has been logged for tho past seven years, and about 43,000 acres have been cut over. ks?properaYwof etaoi shrdlu rdlu The Forest. There aro two distinct classes of forest on tho tract whose occurence Is determined by moisture and the composition of the soil. The follow ing description, though true In largo part of the entire tract, applies moro specifically to that portion of it later referred to as the experimental era. Tho rino Typo. On the dryer lands, or where gravel occurs, tho original forest is pure yellow pine with a slight ad mixture of white fir, red fir, or sugar pine. Tho oldest pino Is of excellent finality, but grows in rather open stand, a result of ancient Indian fires. Within tho last sixty years, however, fires havo dono little damage in tho virgin timber, although prevalent on tho cut-over lauds since lumbering began, A heavy seeding of about fifty-five years ago brought a largo number of trees into the forest, which are at present from 12 to 18 Inches in diameter. Besides the young trees scattered among the old ones, several openings were seeded up to dense stands, which at present average about sixteen inches in di ameter. Another series of heavy scedings began from ton to fifteen years ago, and resulted in a largo number of dense thickets In the open ings of tho old forest. Some of theso are of considerable size, one covering more than a section. Except in tho thickets the ground cover is chapar ral, mainly buck brush (Onnotliiis ccmliilntus), with a considerable mix ture of nmnzanltn (Airtostaphjlos Kliuicn). It Is not donso enough however, to prevent tho pine seed lings from coming through It, and they havo rapidly overtopped It In height. Logging has left practically all tho tlmbor which has como In dur ing tho Inst sixty ) ears, togother with some of tho smnllor stuff of tho old stand. Komarknbly little damago was dono In felling, nnil practically nil tho young growth was loft intnet. Tho ground, howovor, was loft cov ered with debris. On areas whore flro has not occurrod slnco logging, tho polo timber Is In oxcellont condi tion, and the seodlings aro well above tho chaparral. Tin, I'lf Type. This typo of forest occurs on the molster and deeper bolls. It is com posed of white and rod fir, cedar, a binall percentage of sugar pino, and a slight amount of yollow pino. Tho troos nro of largo sUe, particularly tho rod fir and yollow pino, and tho forost Is vory donse. Flros have not boon provalont for many years In this typo, and thore is a donso uudor growth of whlto fir. Logging ro- movos all tho sugar pine and tho best rod and whlto 11 r and cedar, leaving all the umloslrablo lnrgo trees and tho poles of all speclos undor 18 In ches. In so dousQ a forost, timber felling naturally has caused somo damage, but as a whole the trees loft uro not badly Injured, and aro now doing well lu tktr1 -increasod light which they receive. Logging debris Is very heavy In this type, but tho greater part has miraculously escaped destruction by fire. Eire. ' From th0 preceding description of the forest, the danger of lire should be fully apparent. The time of greatest danger Is, of course, the dry season, when every bit of debris and brush becomes like so much tinder. Tho danger is further emphasized by the presence of the Inflammable chaparral areas and the vast quanti ties of slash on the logged lands. Fire on theso areas Is of the hottest character, and onco started Is ex tremely difficult and almost Impossi ble to check. Not only Is the forest threatened, but also tho camps, rail road, and mills of the company, and even the town of McCloud Itself. That the frequency of danger of fires is not exaggerated is shown by the fact that in 1003 the company ex pended $3,000 in fighting fire, and In 1904 ?2,500. Causes. The causes of fire are manifold. Where the danger is as great as at McCloud the most trlval carelessness is often sufficient to start a serious conflagration. Unextinguished camp fires and sparks from donkey engines or logging locomotives of the com pany are the commonest sources from which fires start. Effect on the Forest. The effect of fire on virgin timber Is not always at onco apparent. The mature trees, particularly yellow pine are well adapted to resisting the ef fect of an ordinary ground fire, and apparently Its chief effect upon the forest is tho destruction of brush and litter. In reality, however, the trees are often seriously Injured, particu larly where fires follow one another short intervals. Growth is checked and the trees are weakened; and in at short intervals. Growth is checked low. In addition tho trees are grad ually eaten through at the base, and eventually die or are blown over. Openings thus made In the forest are effectually prevented by subsequent fires from coming up to young growth, while the chaparral, which spiouts from the roots and is not permanently eliminated, even though completely burned back, takes pos session of tho ground. On the cut over lands the effect of fire is even worse. Here, because of the greater accumulation of debris, the fire is hotter, and the trees left after lum bering aro more likely to be killed. If this goes on long enough, the en tire area becomes a chaparral field, and in tho absence of seed trees, little chance is left of a return of tho for est. Firo Lilies. In a region where fires are likely to occur and, when once started, are hard to check, somo means must be found to conflno fires to the smallest pobsible area, and to servo as a basis for fighting them. For this purpose It is recommended that live fires be constructed. " It Is doubtful whether, In a country such as this, fire lines will of themselves stop fires, but they will make It posslblo to hold a fire within fixed limits, and, in addition, they can readily be used to back-flro from. The lines should be from 200 to 300 feet in width, and on them everything Inilammablo should bo burned, and, If necessary, tops and limbs Bhould be piled. Old stubs should bo felled and tho ground cleared as far as posslblo. Tho lines may best bo located along old trnm loads or logging spurs. The best timo for constructing such linos Is In tho fall or early spring, when the dangor from burning is least Areas of gieatest danger should hnvo the greatest number of lines. Twenty miles of lire lines should sufllco for an ordinary township, and their con struction should cost from ?12 to $15 per mile. Patrol. Tho chief point In firo protection Is to discover and oxtlngulsh fires as soon as started, slnco vory few llros nro hard to handle In tholr first stago. For thla purpogo a patrol should bo 06tnbllahed. One patrolman should covor an area of at loast 10,000 acres dally. Ills route is chlelly laid out, and tho topography of tho tract, as at Mc Cloud, niakos posslblo a view of tho entire nroa from all points, tho nroa covorod by one man might bo much largor. If practicable tho patrol route should follow tho higher Nova tions, from which tho wholo tract may bo viewed. Tho longth of the route should not bo more than tho patrolman can covor thoroughly once ovory day during tho danger season. In this lustanco It should euclrclo tho oxperlmeutal aera. The duties of tho patrolman should bo to detect and extinguish Immedi ately all fires starting In his territory, and whenever tho fires aro beyond the control of ono man, to immedi ately summon help and direct the flre-flghtlng. The patrolman should also exercise a general supervision In protecting tho tract, by cautioning campers, hunters, and others against fires, and by watching carefully all places of especial danger, such as the neighborhood of logging operations and tho camping sites of hunters and others. The cost of the patrolman should not exceed $75 per month, including the keep of his horse. This would mean $300 or $400 per year, accord ing to tho length of the danger sea son. Tool Stations. In order that tools may be quickly obtainable in case of fire, tool houses should bo placed at places readily ac cessible, preferably along the patrol route. Two such stations on- the aera covered by this plan should be ample. The stations may bo simply chests furnished with rakes, shovels, axes, and the like. Telephone Lines. In order to summon help readily and to get men to tho scene of any lire at short notice, a telephone line connecting with headquarters should be erected. Telephone boxes should be located along tho patrol route, at the logging camps, and at other fre quented spots. A line along the log ging tramroad already exists, and the expense of slightly extending this should be small. Additional Measures for Protection. To call the attention of campers, hunters, and the like to the flro dan ger, warning notices should be posted In frequent places on tho tract. Every effort should be made by the patrolman and the officers of the company to enlist the Interest of the local Inhabitants, on or about the tract, in the prevention of fires. Pub lic sentiment is often one of tho strongest factors in any protective ef fort. If the accumulation of debris on cut-over lands were disposed of, the danger from firo would be greatly re duced, and any fires that started could be far more easily conti oiled. The cost of piling and burning slash may, however, prove prohibitive, and it is only by experiments that its feasibility can bo determined. Cost of Protection. The following estimate of tho cost of portcction for tho first year is be lieved to be conservative. In actual practice many of the expenses can probably be reduced. , Fire lines 20 miles per town ship, at $15 $300.00 Patrol one patrolman, at $75 per month for four months 300.00 Three tool stations with tools at $15 each 45.00 PUBLIC COLUMN Cost per township C45.00 Cost per acre .03 In tho above estimate no account is taken of tlephone linos, since their cost will vary greatly. Ono patrol man Is charged to a township, but In actual practice should cover nearly two, and this should, In some meas ure, balance tho cost of the tele phone. Tho fire-protection plan just out lined was put In operation by the Forest Service In cooperation with tho McCloud River Lumber Company in the summer of 1S95. The general execution of tho plan was In tho hands of an agent of the Forest Ser vice. Construction of Firo Lines. Tho fire lines at McCloud were con structed In the fall of 1S94 and in tho spring of 1895, when the slash was not too wet to burn readily and yet tho forest was not too dry for safety. In accordance with the plan, they fol lowed the wagon roads, tramroads and spurs, though it was not found necessary to construct lines along all of these. Where the slash was heav iest and tho danger from firo greatest tho compartments or segregated areas were made smaller than where tho dangor was less. Tho lines var ied In width from 200 to 400 feet for tho same reasons . Tho flro lino along tho railroad track now in use was made 400 feet .wide, slnco here tho dangor from sparks Is great. Whoro the slash and chaparral wore not nbundant, linos 200 foot In width were sufficient. To clear tho lines, tho mon were divided Into small crews of C to 12, undor tho supervi sion of a responsible man. Each crew was divided Into two groups, one on onch sldo of tho load or spur. Ono or two men from each group pre coded tho rost to gather the tops and dobiis Into piles. The lost of tho crow followed, setting flro to tho piles of brush and debris, firing bnck from tho outor edges of tho firo lino towards tho centor, and taking pre caution not to let the firo spread be yond tho boundaries of the Are line. Piling tho debris Is not, as a rule, uecessary, slnco tho slash on tho logged lands is usually bunched. This is duo to tho logging method In uso. Tho level country permits tho use of logging wheels, and, to give space for operating these, tho Blash has to bo removed from around the EDITOR COOS BAY TIMES: There has been a great deal of feel ing aroused In tho past few wcoko re garding the bridging of Coos Bay, at Pony Inlet, and I would like to hnvo just a little space In yorr valuable paper for the purpose of sotting forth one or two concrete facts, which It in Impossible for any right th nklng poi son, government official or layman, to dispute. Will the government allow litis b.v to bo bridged If It can bo proven that any bridge put across It will bo a menace to navigation? I am of the opinion it will not. Can it bo proven1 Most assuredly. It is a known fact that there aro times during tho win ter when it is absolutely impossible for any of the steamers coming to this port to dock at Empire, on ac count of the fact that If the vessel were stopped for a moment she would not mind her helm and be driven to the beach or mud flat. Can any draw bridge be operated, or rather are any draw bridges oper ated, so promptly at all times thai vessels never havo to wait for the draw after they whistle for them to open? If there are any the writer has been unable to learn of them. During the rough weather any steamer hav ing to wait for tho draw of the host operated draw bridge In existence would bo damaged before the captain could turn his vessel. , Recently the steamer Plant In coming up the bay one stormy night carried away quite a lot of the Glasno wharf, It being absolutely Impossible to steer the vessel away from the wharf. What would have happened lud the wharf been a well construct ed draw bridge? When the weather and the current aro both bad on the lower bay it would be absolutely impossibe for the captain of the tug boat to stop even for an Instant with a vessel or vessels in tow. What would be the result of a wait of a few minutes or even an instant for a draw bridge to open? Why, then, are some either of tho opinion or at least seem to bo of the opinion that a draw bridge across this harbor would not bo a detriment in fact an absolute menace to navigation. This harbor is not a river and nei ther is the lower bay protected as most rivers are. Probably the government can so fix the bridge that It will not shoal the bay, though that is impractical but tho fact remains that tho gov ernment nor any one else on this earth can control the rough weather on the lower bay. Neither can any one acquainted with the conditions truthfully say that a vessel can wait for a drawof any bridge to open. Neither can It bo said that any draw bridge ever built could always be oponed just at tho proper moment without causing delay to tho vessel wishing to pass through. I N OTIS. !'! M w LET. US SELL YOU foiled trees. This lesults In throw ing tho slash together sufficiently for burning. Fifteen miles of flro lino were burned In 1905 In the above manner, at an average cost of $15 per mile. These 15 miles afford protection to about 15,000 acres of cut-over land, at a cost of 1 Ms cents per acre. Tho Patrol. A patrol route was laid out at tho beginning of the season of 1905. This route was 25 miles in length and practically encircled the experi mental area. It passed through those parts of the tract whoro flro danger Is greatest, In places follow ing the Are lines, but usually skirt ing tho higher elevations. A mounted patrolman covered the louto dally for the four months of greatest flro danger, from June to September, inclusive. It was found that ho could In this way look after 70,000 acres. Ho was given author ity to employ and organize crows for firo fighting, and had, In short, di rect control of the firo protection. The cost of tho patrol, Including maintainonco of a horse, was $75 per FOREST FIRES 4 month $300 for tho season. This made the cost por acre but one-half cent. Tool Stations. Three tool stations were located on the tract. Two of those wore on the patrol route, In places whoro flro was most llkoly to occur, and where they would bo quickly accessible In an omorgoncy; tho third was located at tho slaughtor house about 1 miles from McCloud. Theso tool Btatlons woro boxes or chests provided with locks, and largo onough to contain tho G long-handled shovols, 2 axes, and 2 Iron rakes with which each was provided. Tholr cost, including tools was $10 apleco. Telephone Lines, A telephono lino provided with fre quent call boxes follows tho railroad which crosses, tho tract, and a prlvato lino connects McCloud with tho ( Continued on pago 4,) M OR- New fivo room cottage, choice location $1,500 New five room cottage, well located ,750 Good five room cottage, nearly new on large lot 2,250 Good house completely furnished 2,750 If you are looking for a home we can meet' your wants. We handle all kinds of city and farm property. .9 S. Kaufman & Co. OVER TELEPHONE OFFICE MARSHFIELD, OREGON A D - To every new subscriber or one year to the Daily Coos Bay Times will be given the Pacific Monthly, which will be delivered through the mail The regular rate of $5.00 perl year in advance, or 50c per monbhjwill prevail. li ! ' -' Snkatmr. SV2j, UJZ?.
