The Importance of Preventing Forest, Brush,
Grass and Tundra Fires For The Wel
fare Of Alaska Wild Life
By 10. P. Walker,
Of the IT. S. Biological Survey
Few persons realize that, vegeta
lion is essential to all forms of ani
mal life. The animals or birch
live directly or indirectly on the
vegetation.
The burning of timber, brush,
grass and tundra lands in Alaska
has received little attention be
cause it is not generally realized
that while (he timber burned mav
he of little commercial value the
damage may nevertheless he ser
ious because of its effect on other
resources of the Territory.
Such (ires kill, by burning or suf
focation, practically all the sinail
animals which are food for fur
hearers or game as well as many
fur bearers themselves.
The devastation is usually com
plete and lands are made unpro
ductive for a period of years. The
length of time such lands are thus
made valueless depends wholly on
the length of time necessary for ve
getation to become reestablished
and for the animal life to gradual
Iv come in after the vegetation has
grown again. If the burned area is
small and soil conditions are favor
able the land may begin to produce
again in a few years, but if the area
is large and conditions are not fa
vorable for plant life the time may
run into many years. Such burned
areas are subject to erosion which
carries away the soil and further
handicaps plant growth and limit3
the productivity of the land.
It may thus be seen that the loss
es to wild life by a fire is serious
not only for the year of the fire but
for succeeding years. It takes but a
small fire to burn an area which
will annually produce $5 00 worth
of furs and an equal value of game.
Thus an area which would annually
ductive for a period and its crops
are greatly reduced for a longer
period.
As this land was capable of pro
ducing $1,000 worth of wild ani
mal life per year and has produced
only $2,775 during the fifteen years
period of recuperation the fire did
damage to the extent of $12,225 in
addition to the destructon of stock
originally on the land. Examination
will show that these figures are con
servative for burned-over areas of
timber lands.
In his report “Progress of Rein
deer Grazing Investigations In Alas
ka,” United States Department of
Agriculture, Mr. Lawrence J. Palm
in* writes as follows:
One of the greatest sources of in
jury to range and losses of forage
in Alaska is in fires, either delib
erately set or due to carelessness.
Tundra fires along the coast are
common, and burned-over areas may
be frequently found.
Possibly on account of the im
mensity of the country and the
sparse population the injury by fire
does not appear very important nor
a need of its suppression important.
It has not, perhaps, been called suf
ficiently to people’s attention in th
past, although a Territorial law is
in effect providing penalty for the
deliberate setting of range fires.
What is needed for Alaska is a gen
eral iire-prevention program, and
in that connection a wide, educa
tional propoganda against fore3t
and range fires, particularly in the
northern and western sections of the
Territory.
Damage to range by fire involves
not only a loss of forage and t^ees
but also of game and fur animals,
since the small ground animals as
well as the cover of vegetation
are destroyed by the fire. The dam
age to lichen range is particularly
yield $1,000 is made wholly unpro
serious. It may take a burned-ov
er lichen area as much as 15 years
to come back. In view of the Im
portance of the lichen areas for
winter grazing, it Is vital to all
reindeer men t© guard against fires;
and because of the damage to game
and fur animals and to tree growth,
it is the concern of everyone that
fires be prevented and fire protec
tion sought.
The absence of vegetation per
mits rapid run-off of rains and rap
id melting snows so that the
stream flow becomes very irregu
lar so that floods and low water
often follow one another in close
succession. Such conditions are un
favorable to fish in the streams. If
those interested in our fisheries
were fully aware of this damage,
they would be keenly Interested in
the prevention of fires.
Alaska has such a large percent
age of lands useless for the produc
tion of any crops other than fui
and game and for reindeer grazing,
that such lands should be kept well
clothed with vegetation and stock
od with all the fur and game ani
mals and birds that the lands cart
support.
C OST OP GOVERNING LONG
REACH, CALIF. GIVEN
AS $4,850,490
The Department of Commerce has
just announced a summary of the
financial statistics of the city cor
poration of Lang Beach, Calif., for
the fiscal year ending June 30 1926.
It should be noted, it says., that
in order to put the city of Long
Beach on a basis comparable with
those cities in which schools are
a part of the city corporation, the
figures here given include 84.6 per
cent of the transactions of the high
school district and 85.4 per cent of
the transactions of the elementary
school district of Long Beach, both
for the fiscal year closing June 30,
1926, the percentage In each case
being based on the ratio of the as
sessed valuation of the city to that