Table 7.17  U.S. Wildland Fire Damage and Tree Planting, Ten-Year Intervals, 1930-1950, and Annually, 1951-1999

  Wildland       Wildland  
  fire Tree     fire Tree
Year damage planting   Year damage planting
             
  million acres     million acres
             
1930 52.3 0.14   1974 2.9 1.60
1940 25.9 0.52   1975 1.8 1.93
1950 15.5 0.50   1976 5.1 1.89
1951 10.8 0.45   1977 3.2 1.98
1952 14.2 0.52   1978 3.9 2.09
1953 10.0 0.71   1979 3.0 2.06
1954 8.8 0.81   1980 5.3 2.27
1955 8.1 0.78   1981 4.8 2.35
1956 6.6 0.89   1982 2.4 2.37
1957 3.4 1.14   1983 5.1 2.45
1958 3.3 1.53   1984 3.0 2.55
1959 4.2 2.12   1985 5.2 2.70
1960 4.5 2.14   1986 3.2 2.75
1961 3.0 1.76   1987 5.0 3.03
1962 4.1 1.37   1988 5.7 3.39
1963 7.1 1.33   1989 3.5 3.02
1964 4.2 1.31   1990 4.6 2.86
1965 2.7 1.29   1991 2.2 2.56
1966 4.6 1.28   1992 2.6 2.55
1967 4.7 1.37   1993 2.3 2.42
1968 4.2 1.44   1994 4.7 2.78
1969 6.7 1.43   1995 2.3 2.42
1970 3.3 1.60   1996 6.7 2.41
1971 4.3 1.69   1997 3.7 2.49
1972 2.6 1.68   1998 2.3 na
1973 1.9 1.75   1999 5.7 na

Sources:  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Fire and Aviation management, 1991-1997 Wildland Fire Statistics (USDA, FS, Washington, DC, 1998), historical data from earlier reports in this series, and recent data from the National Interagency Fire Center (as of December 31, 1999).

--, U.S. Forest Planting Report (USDA, FS, Washington, DC, annual), and recent data in Tree Planters' Notes, Volume 49, No. 1.

Notes:  Tree planting refers to acres planted in seedlings and direct seeded. Year = calendar year for wildland fire damage and fiscal year for tree planting.

Last Updated on Friday, January 7, 2000