264 Forestry Quarterly. 



ered with heather. Some of these had been repeatedly burned, 

 so that in this location the heather cover was short and thin, 

 interspersed with Polytrichium, the "fire moss"; others — a sec- 

 ond location — with a denser cover of longer heather and mainly 

 Hylocomia moss. Pine, spruce and birch were used in planting 

 these plats, but pine was almost alone successful. 



The result of all the observations in these and other areas is 

 the finding that the burned areas produce from the same amount 

 of seed double the number of trees in the first location, the re- 

 verse in the last location. Similarly height growth was stimu- 

 lated by the burning on the first, the opposite on the last location. 

 "The effect of burning depends on the thoroughness with which 

 the substratum is attacked, which in turn depends mainly on the 

 time when it is done and on the water conditions of the soil." 



Early firing in spring rarely, or not at all, burns the soil itself, 

 which is then frozen or at least cold and wet- After such burning 

 the roots of the heather grow on undamaged and new shoots 

 sprout out the first season. After 3-6 years the ground has the 

 same appearance as before the fire. Burning of this kind helps 

 mostly a pine sowing; there is a little ash fertilizer and competi- 

 tion for water is reduced ; the humus is all left, hence, especially 

 on poor soil, the burning has been an advantage. Besides, the 

 work on such burned areas is easier and cheaper. 



Yet, on loose sand soil even such light burning is not advisable, 

 as well as on very shallow soil, which needs all the soil cover and 

 shade it can get, nor where the soil cover consists of lichens or 

 fire moss. On wet soils the value of burning is reduced or may be 

 a damage. 



The principal objection to burning is what is not necessary, 

 the burning of the soil itself, which deteriorates the soil. Hence 

 the time of burning is of greatest importance, and the deteriorat- 

 ing influence of involuntary fires during the hot season is ex- 

 plained. Such undesirable fires also change the character of 

 the vegetation. Just as the frost is out, after a sunny or windy 

 day is the best time to burn. 



Mowing the heather is not advantageous, as it simply induces 

 more dense sprouting of the stocks, the heather grows merely 



