Some Rhode Island statistics:
Some quick and dirty statistics gathered from here (archive).
Major Fires:
1930 — 34,700 acres in R.I.
1942 — 24,500 acres in R.I.
1951 — Acreage not specified
The 1930 and 1942 fires started in Connecticut. 1942 burned about 14,000 acres on the Connecticut side; unsure at this time how many burned in 1930. From personal recollection of stories heard but not confirmed yet by research the ’51 fire burned generally the area between the 1930 and 1942 fires.
1935 — 63% of R.I. forested
1938 — Hurricane, eventually 80 million board feet of lumber salvaged
1953 — 64% forested; 281 million board feet standing
1998 — 59% forested; 1,316 million board feet standing
On a bit less land, the volume of trees in Rhode Island expand four fold in 45 years. What that speaks directly to is the lack of “maturity” in the woods of 1953, which relates to forest fires. Immature woods are brushier and more prone to hot fires and younger trees are more prone to lethal injuries to their bark. As the forests mature, they become less likely to burn and more resistant to the impact of what does burn.
