240 



inal fire and the back fire meet, in order to extinguish smoldering fires 

 in tops, logs, and other debris. A fire is never out until the last spark 

 is extinguished. Often a log or snag will smolder unnoticed after the 

 flames have apparently been conquered, only to break out afresh with a 

 rising wind. After the fire-fighting crew has left the ground it is 

 always well to assign at least one man to patrol the edges of the burned 

 area until it is certain that the fire is entirely out. This may not be 

 for several days. 



GRAZING 



The custom of allowing cattle and hogs to run at large in the woods, 

 while not as harmful in its effects as fire, is still detrimental. Since 

 practically all the woodlands are fenced, it becomes a matter of in- 

 dividual judgment as to whether the woods shall be pastured or not. 

 A great many owners wish to use their woodland for grazing, but they 

 should realize that under such conditions they can not expect to get the 

 fullest possible yield of wood from their forest lands. The most im- 

 portant phase of the grazing problem is that it encourages the thinning 

 of stands that should be kept at a maximum density of crown-cover for 

 the protection of steep slopes from erosion and the regulation of 

 stream flow. 



Hogs do damage principally by feeding on the seeds of various 

 nut trees and by uprooting or barking young seedlings. Where a forest 

 has sufficient young growth large enovigh to assure its safety, the pres- 

 ence of hogs in small numbers may be permitted. 



Cattle do more damage than hogs, as they break down much young 

 growth, trample the soil, feed on the leaves and tender twigs of the 

 trees, and bark even fairly large trees at times. A forest in good con- 

 dition will be too dense to allow the growth of grass and will thus be 

 of no use for grazing purposes except to furnish a shady retreat for the 

 cattle in hot weather. Wherever woods are extensively grazed they 

 are invariably lacking in young growth and do not reproduce them- 

 selves, whereas a near-by woodlot protected from grazing will be fully 

 stocked with thrifty young growth. 



PREVENTION OF DISEASE AND INSECT INJURIES 



Trees are commonly attacked by insect enemies and fungous dis- 

 eases that do more or less serious damage. In some instances the value 

 of the timber is destroyed or reduced through weakening or by the 

 spoiling of its appearance. In other cases, the rate of growth is re- 

 duced by defoliation — a common injury to walnut and hickory through- 

 out the state, and to catalpa in the southern part. Sometimes the trees 

 are killed by the attack of defoliating insects. 



