THE EFFECT OF FOREST FIRES ON TREES AND RE- 

 PRODUCTION IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 



By p. L. Buttrick. 



Nearly all that has been written on forest fires in America has 

 been of general nature, not applying to any particular forest 

 region. This paper is an attempt to outline some of the effects 

 for a single region. It discusses only the effect of fire on trees 

 and reproduction not considering the effects on the forest floor, 

 soil, etc. 



The region chosen is the so-called Sprout Hardwoods Region of 

 New England, located in Connecticut, Rhode Island and southern 

 New York. The characteristic species are Chestnut, White, Red 

 and Black Oaks, Hickories, Birches and the like. They all depend 

 more or less upon sprouting for reproduction; some, notably 

 Chestnut, rely almost entirely upon it. This gives the region 

 many peculiarities. 



Surface fires are the rule. There is never enough humus for 

 severe ground fires, or coniferous growth for crown fires. Even 

 the surface fires are light as compared with those further south, 

 being seldom severe enough to destroy timber of any size, and so 

 are not usually considered very harmful, so long as they do not 

 endanger other property, are too often neglected. The profound 

 effect of these light fires is not seen till long afterwards and then 

 only by search. It is hoped that a larger appreciation of their 

 damage will result in better protection of the woodlands of the 

 region. 



The discussion follows these headings : 



1. Factors influencing the resistance of trees to fire. 



2. The after-effects of a single fire. 



3. The effect of recurring fires. 



4. Fire in relation to sprouting. 



5. The effect of fires on reproduction. 



6. The effect of age on resistance. 



I. FACTORS INPLUBNCING RESISTANCE. 



The effects of fire fall into two classes: (i) The direct effect 

 of the fire on the trees. (2) The indirect effect produced by de- 



