OCR Text |
Show Favorable Conditions Kept J Number of Forest Fires Low S Public cooperation helped keep forest fire damage to a minimum this year, but Mother Nature also deserves a great deal of credit. With cool weather and plenty of moisture, mois-ture, fire fuels did not reach the degree of combustibility that is normally expected. Based on statistics compiled in October, Forest Service officials report a total of 895 fires in the Intermountain Region (82 percent of the five-year average) and 1,383 acres burned (13 percent of the five-year average). In October of 1974, the record shows 1,092 fires during the year in the Intermountain Region (102 percent of the five-year aver- age) and 20.683 acres burned (196 percent of the five-year average). In the Intermountain Region I the improvement was most 1 dramatic for Class C fires C (100 acres or larger). The J five-year Regional average for Class C fires is 32; during J 1974, 162 were recorded; in 1975, only one fire grew to m Class E size. j During 1975, increased pub- I lie awareness of the danger of J forest fires helped keep the f number of acres burned very J low. Forest Service personnel 1 hope this trend will continue J and that forest fire damage 1 can be reduced even during f years when burning conditions J become more critical. I |