PERIODICAL LITERATURE 



SILVICULTURE, PROTECTION, AND EXTENSION 



The Journal of Forestry, Vol. XV, No. 8 



Natural (December, 1917), contains a review of re- 



Re production searches by J. V. Hofman on reproduction of 



Following conifers following fire in the Pacific Northwest. 



Fire The present reviewer feels that further comment 



on this subject is essential with reference to one 



or two points. The chief impression of Hofman's work gained by the 



reviewer as a result of some ten years of experience and observation 



in the Puget Sound region is that he has given far too little emphasis 



to cones left on trees after fire as a source of seed. 



The facts are that the overwhelming proportion of serious fires in the 

 West Cascade region occur from July 20 to September 10. Very few 

 indeed of these fires are crown fires. Only one crown-fire area of large 

 extent has come under personal observation of the writer in the north- 

 ern portion of the western Cascades. When fires occur in seed years 

 before the cones open (cones do not open in western Washington till 

 near or after the end of the fire season), the result must be that large 

 amounts of seed escape the fire and drop later on ground well pre- 

 pared for reception of the seed and fairly well rid of rodents. Since 

 Willis shows in the same number of the Journal cited above (p. 992) 

 that seed collected August 3 from green Douglas-fir cones has a germi- 

 nation as high as 16 per cent, it is obvious that throughout the main 

 fire season viable seed of the season's crop is available after ground 

 fires, and to some extent after crown fires, from cones which open on 

 the trees after fire has passed. Even if the seeds are not ripe at the 

 time of the fire, it is usual for many trees to die a lingering death fol- 

 lowing ground fires, thus giving opportunity for green seeds to ripen. 



Unquestionably. Hofman's conclusion that seeds are stored in the 

 duflf is well based, but with large quantities originating after fire as 

 above the burden of proof is on the investigator to prove that these do 

 not find suitable conditions for germination, or else have a more promi- 

 nent part in reproduction after fire than assigned by Hofman's article. 



Regarding reproduction after cutting, it is doubtful whether investi- 

 gations on areas cut 20 years ago throw much light on conditions fol- 



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