This is RTS for Monday, June 18, 2007

FIRE TOWERS: We can remember many years ago climbing the old
Hedgehog fire tower to get a perfect view of the Northern lights
display over Bradford.

Probably illegal but a spectacular way to get a panoramic view.
And that was the intent, of course – to provide a vantage point for
miles and miles of forest land where a fire might be spreading.

The people at Elk State Forest tell us the fire towers in this
region and throughout the state were built in the early 1900s
because of the forest fires which had ravaged the region.

In the 10-year period from 1913 to 1922, more than 2.6 million
acres of forest land burned in Pennsylvania, an average of more
than a quarter of a million acres each year. That represented a
loss of more than a half-million dollars per year.

Not only was forest land charred but so, too, were homes and
dwellings in or near the forest, crops and lumber. Many of these
fires were the outcome of carelessness on the part of individuals
that worked or lived in or near the forests, according to the
Bureau of Forestry.

The state’s solution was two-fold: building fire towers on a
high point with a strategic location; and linking the fire towers
to the local forest office via telephone. The goal was to reduce
the amount of time between the start of the fire and its report to
authorities.

The Elk State Forest was charged with fire protection on 720,000
acres of forest land in Elk and Cameron counties and smaller
portions of Potter and McKean counties. Between 1920 and 1925,
seven fire towers were built on the Elk State Forest – some of
which still standing today and continue in use.

Although development of an access road system, readily available
forms of wireless communication, and the use of reconnaissance
aircraft have greatly reduced the need for numerous fire towers,
they are still important.

During times of high fire danger, the three remaining towers on
the Elk State Forest are used for early detection of wildfires. The
towers are also useful in detecting smoke from fires in remote
areas when aircraft are not available.

More tomorrow.