Second Groivth Yellow Pine. 535 



will reproduction take place and the more rapidly will the scrub 

 be driven out. 



Old settlers in Nevada County affirm that the virgin stand was 

 cut clean, leaving no seed trees. Furthermore, they say no re- 

 production existed upon the ground at the time of cutting, the 

 forest was open in all directions and was kept in that condition 

 by the Indians in order to have good hunting ground. The two 

 statements are reconciled with difficulty. It is probable that 

 neither is wholly true. Frequent surface fires undoubtedly killed 

 much of the reproduction, but scattered patches of young growth 

 which passed unnoticed in the early days and all seedlings which 

 had sprung up since the last burning were left upon the ground. 

 Secondly, unmerchantable trees were left in larger numbers than 

 by the ordinary lumbering operation of to-day. Such trees acted 

 as seed supply till they were cut for firewood. Nevertheless re- 

 markably good reproduction is found considering the means by 

 which it was secured and it should never be difficult to obtain 

 satisfactory regeneration by natural means. 



Though Yellow Pine reproduces prolifically on soil of good 

 quality, cutting in second growth is not followed by restocking 

 to any extent. This is because the trees have, for the most part, 

 not reached the seed bearing age. Some seed is borne at the age 

 of 50 years and a partial regeneration may be secured up to dis- 

 tances of 400 feet from groups of seed trees. Burned areas offer 

 the best seed bed and extremely dense reproduction may often 

 be found in open burns where fire has had the pathological effect 

 of making the unkilled but badly damaged trees produce seed in 

 large quantities. 



The most difficult marking for regeneration in virgin Yellow 

 Pine will always be found near the upper rather than the lower 

 limits of the pine belt. Not only will it be found more difficult 

 to keep out brush, but reproduction of other less desirable but 

 more tolerant species occupying the ground will complicate a 

 problem already confused by the constant variation of type and 

 sub-type with every change of slope, aspect and elevation. It 

 is essential to leave a minimum of shade upon the ground and to 

 reduce the area of soil drained by the roots of the older seed 

 trees. Scattered groups of trees which were left upon the ground 

 after the original cutting now have no reproduction within 25 to 

 100 feet while further away second growth is abundant. Even 



