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Mail Tribune 100, Jan 28, 1917, continued Saturday Jan 28, 2017 at 12:01 AM Jan. 27, 1917, continued Editor’s note: There was no Jan. 28, 1917, paper. SISKIYOU FOREST LEADS IN NUMBER OF FOREST FIRES Eleven hundred and seventy-six fires on the national forest of Oregon, Washington and Alaska burned over 9,000 acres of timber land destroyed 25,000,000 boards cut of merchantable timber worth $23,000 and young growth and forage worth $12,000, and cost the forest service $19,000 to subdue during the fire season of 1916, according to a complete report just compiled in the office of the district forester. In addition to the timber land, more than 10,000 acres of open country was also burned over. The fires on the national forests of this district for 1916 were distributed as follows: Alaska 28, Washington, 465, and Oregon 683. In number of fires reportered, the Siskiyou National forest in Oregon leads the district with 243 fires. The Snoqualmie forest in Washington stands second with a record of 177 fires for the season. The least number of fires occurred on the Tongrass forest, Alaska, where three were reported. Sixty per cent of these 1,176 fires were discovered and put out before they had gained headway enough to cover a quarter of an acre. Thirty-two fires, less than 3 per cent of the total number, burned over more than ten acres and did damage to exceed $100 before they were put under control. Any one of the 1,144 other fires if left to itself might have become a large forest fire, says forester Cecik. Campers caused 23 per cent of all the fires reported. Lightning was responsible for 19 per cent, railroads for 8½ per cent, logging operations 6½ per cent, brush burning 6. These figures do not indicate campers are becoming more careless with fire than formerly, but that there was a great increase in the number of tourists and campers visiting the forests, according to Cecik. Nearly $3,000 of the $19,000 spent by the forest service in fire-fighting in this district last year was used on private land within or adjacent to the national forests to subdue fires which threatened to enter the forests. Timber land owners furnished co-operation to the amount of $3,264.63. Excellent co-operation was given by the state foresters of Oregon and Washington.