Results of "Light Burning." 421 



sidered conditions after the fire very satisfactory and that the 

 young timber killed did not amount to much as it was too thick 

 anyway. His contention was that the timber left will now grow 

 better and that he will have more in the long run than before 

 the fire. He stated that the area had not been burned over for 

 20 years at least. 



To show the results of this so-called beneficent light-burning, 

 a sample ^ acre plot was taken in a clump of young trees averag- 

 ing 50 feet in height and 40 years of age which fairly represents 

 conditions on the 15 acres burned over. 



Results of burning on ^ acre plot of yellow pine: (a) The 

 ground litter of pine needles was partially consumed. (b) 

 There was no chapparal on the ground, (c) Effect on tree re- 

 production by age classes : 



Alive Dead 



Class I — I to 5 years 

 Class n — 5 to 10 years 

 Class HI — 10 to 20 years 

 Class IV — 20 to 40 years 

 Class V — over 40 years 



This count on this plot shows that all of the growth up to 10 

 years of age, three-fifths of the growth from 10 to 20 years of 

 age, and two-sevenths of the growth from 20 to 40 years of age 

 was killed. Seedlings younger than five years of age were absent 

 on this plot owing to the density of the stand. Observations on 

 other parts of the burned area, however, showed that all of this 

 age class had been killed. 



The average diameter of the class from 20 to 40 years of age 

 was about 10 inches. Many of the poles killed in Class HI 

 were over-topped and would eventually have died out. 



The fire burned the hardest where there was manzanita brush. 

 In one place a yellow pine tree 40 inches in diameter and 115 

 feet high, which was surrounded by this brush, was killed. The 

 flames had run up the bark which was pitchy to the very top of 

 the tree. 



The stand of poles and old trees before the burning averaged 

 about 8,000 board feet per acre. Practically one-third of this 

 amount was killed as well as the majority of the young growth 



