50 JOURNAIv OF FORESTRY 



ior a possible increase in the cost of logging. Nevertheless, future 

 values and future losses should not be overlooked in efforts to keep the 

 cost of production at a minimum. Like all other progressive steps in 

 forestry, forest hygiene has already found a place in the scheme of 

 forest management as witnessed by the progress the Forest Service 

 has made in this direction. From the nature of the fungous diseases 

 developing upon slash it is evident that there are only two practical 

 means of disposal ; the one, destruction by fire, and the other, the 

 checking of fungous development by dessication. In regions where 

 the methods of cutting and the climatic conditions are such as to favor 

 leaving the infected slash exposed to the air and sunlight, it might 

 be feasible to try control by this method, stacking the infected material 

 in such a way as to allow the free circulation of air and the maximum 

 of sunlight, or stripping portions of the bark so as to hasten the 

 drying out process. This could only be done, however, where condi- 

 tions were such as to thoroughly dry out the host material and in 

 this manner kill the fungus within. The moisture conditions on many 

 of the logging operations conducted in the Northwest region do not 

 favor such a method, and destruction by fire is apparently the only 

 alternative. Humphrey,^" in a study of timber storage conditions, 

 recommends burning of all infected debris in lumber yards where 

 timber is stored, as the only practical and efficient sanitary method. 

 Meinecke ^° also proposes fire as the best method to rid the forest of 

 fungous fruiting bodies. This method, when practicable, is of course, 

 the best one to use. 



Assuming always that the proper application of pathological mark- 

 ing rules ^^ to the area has resulted in the cutting of all the most 

 dangerous infected trees, the cut-over area next presents the problem 

 of the best and cheapest method of disposal of the resulting infected 

 slash. 



If the object of forest hygiene is constantly kept in mind by the 

 forest officer in charge of the sale area, he can so direct the piling 

 of brush that when it is burned a considerable amount, if not the 

 majority, of the infected slash will also be burned. Slash piles can be 

 made with culled infected sections, infected stumps, snags, windfalls, 

 etc., as centers and other piles can be constructed at the bases of such 

 standing trees as it is desired to kill or destroy by fire. This process 

 is, of course, limited by the amount of available brush on the area, 

 and whether or not undesirable, inferior trees are present. Upon such 

 areas where the majority of brush is utilized in killing trees of infe- 

 rior species and a large amount of the infected slash is left undis- 



