Show Forest Service Views news Damage Of Summer Ammer Fires Twenty major fires throughout through through- out the Intermountain mountain Region devastated nearly acres of national forest land and acres of private land inside and adjacent to the forests this summer Regional Forester Floyd Iverson announced an announced announced an- an today Hundreds of smaller blazes blackened an another another another an- an other 1157 acres during that period Immediate damages to na national national national na- na forests were an estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated 2 million dollars and long range costs from erosion floods and loss of wildlife habitat will run many times that amount Mr 1 Iverson said that flood danger from rain rainstorms rainstorms rainstorms storms is ever present on the over burned-over mountain areas until sufficient vegetation is restored to stabilize the land Floods areas burned in July and August have already caused severe and costly damage damage dam darn age in many parts of the re re- re gion Of the 20 major blazes 12 were man-caused man accounting for about 80 per cent of ot the acreage burned and damage costs of the fires was the acre Corn Creek holocaust on Idaho's Salmon National Forest which raged for a week in early August and accounted for more than half of the total damages Although cool wet weather has held fires in abeyance for more than two weeks the Forest Forest Forest For For- est Service is still cautious During the next two months thousands of hunters will be roaming the forests nearly all lighting campfires and many of them smoking pipes and cigarettes Mr lr Iverson also urged hunters to exercise ex extreme extreme extreme ex- ex caution and reminded people ople in Utah that the Wasatch Wasatch Was Was- atch Front closing order Is still Mill in force The order re requires requires re- re quires that national forest lands ands along the Wasatch Front from rom the north end of V Wellsville Wells Wells- ells ells- ville ille Mountain to Nephi Utah be Je closed to smoking outside of f buildings motor vehicles and ind improved areas including campgrounds picnic and re resort resort re- re sort ort spots and similar places of f habitation It also prohibits campfires or open fires of any kind rind without permit except in established public camp and picnic areas On the brighter side Mr 1 Iverson lauded stockmen and other national forest permit permit- tees for exceptional coop cooperation cooperation ra- ra tion lion during the fire s season ason He said many forest users had given freely of their time and services Many furnished saddle and pack horses to aid aidIn aidIn aidin In transportation of men and supplies Into areas Others served as guides and offered manpower and machines machines machines ma ma- chines without thought of personal personal personal per per- inconvenience he said Without this splendid cooperation co cooperation cooperation co- co operation the Br area a burned and the damages sustained might have been much greater Mr r. Iverson stated |