The Kaniksu’s 1908 Fire Season: 40 Blazes, $3,569 Spent, and a Warning in the Young Timber

According to the annual report of the supervisor of the Kaniksu National Forest, recently submitted to the Forester at Washington, the fire season on the local forest was one of the most disastrous in recent years. A total of forty fires was discovered and extinguished by the ranger force on the Kaniksu. These fires were of all sizes, from small Class A fires that burned over only a few square yards to large fires covering hundreds of acres and requiring the assistance of a large crew of men to get under control.

Owing to the efficient fire patrol maintained throughout the dangerous season, most of the fires were discovered before they had gained much headway, and no such destructive conflagrations as the great Alispel fire occurred on the national forest. Much valuable timber was also saved by the promptness with which former Supervisor Fromme dispatched large crews of fire fighters to the assistance of the government rangers whenever the necessity arose.

The supervisor's report shows that there was expended for fire fighting during the past season $3,569.35. The total acreage of timber land burned over amounted to 700 acres, with a loss in timber of 1,706,000 board feet. Very successful efforts were made by the local force to keep the fires from reaching the more valuable stands of timber, with the result that only $3,000 worth of saw timber was destroyed. Most of this timber is simply fire killed and is still valuable for sawing purposes, but unfortunately the greater part of it is so inaccessible that the local forest office does not believe a purchaser can be secured. Besides the destruction of timber of present merchantable value, there was a further loss which is not often taken into consideration through the injury to young stands and reproduction. The loss through this is estimated to have been $15,000 during the past season.

While the Forest Service cannot, of course, make any pretense of fighting fires outside the National Forest boundaries, yet occasions sometimes arise when this is necessary for the protection of government timber. As an instance of this kind the large fire across the river from Cusick in the valley of C.C.A. Creek might be cited. This fire was extinguished when more than a mile outside the forest boundary, and in no place did it burn any government timber that has been included within the National Forest for the purpose of protecting it from the fires that have devastated such great areas of fine timber land in this region in the past. The danger of this fire spreading to the National Forest was so great, however, that Supervisor Fromme felt justified in placing a large crew of men at work fighting it, and expended $490 in assisting the Fidelity Lumber Co. and other timber owners in that vicinity in extinguishing this fire. The same thing was done in two other instances and has received the hearty support of the Forester.