Forest Fires and Accelerated Erosion

Articles in the February JOURNAL OF FORESTRY have again raised the question of the desirability of protecting wilderness areas from fire. The value of the forest cover on these areas from the standpoint of watershed protection was an important point under discussion, but without very much in the way of specific data upon which to base an argument either for or against. The article presented here partially fills that gap by offering concrete information on the relation of fire to erosion in central Idaho, and indicates the necessity of fire protection as a watershed management measure.