Insect Control Problem. 211 



from 2,000 to 4,500 feet. Conditions seem to be worst in the 

 lower yellow pine belt but the infestation extends well up into 

 the sugar pine and white fir types. 



One cannot give a better idea of the condition of the stand on 

 this area than by quoting from Forest Assistant Hodgson's 

 reconnaissance report of May 18, 191 1. 



"Upon going into the area one is immediately struck by the 

 broken condition of the forest. Throughout the stand there are 

 down and standing snags in various stages of decay, while stand- 

 ing trees that have been recently killed are numerous. Upon 

 large areas practically all the mature trees have been killed and 

 where was at one time a good stand of saw timber there is now 

 only a thick stand of brush broken only by standing and down 

 snags. There is very little evidence of fire and one of the oldest 

 residents of the country who settled there in 1863 stated that so 

 far as he knew there had been no fires on the north side of Little 

 Humbug creek since that time, but that about 15 years ago a 

 fire burned over the area on the south of Little Humbug." 



The work of estimating this tract was conducted along the 

 lines of a regular forest reconnaissance. Each forty was mapped 

 and estimated by means of a ten per cent, strip. At the same 

 time a careful study was made of the dead trees which furnished 

 a pretty good history of the insect loss as it has progressed 

 from year to year. All dead trees of merchantable diameter (18 

 inches or over) which still showed evidence of primary in- 

 sect attack were tallied regardless of their present merchantable 

 condition. The figures obtained give in board foot measure what 

 this dead timber would be worth if it were still standing green. 

 From records and data collected in the field it was estimated that 

 this loss represents a period of about thirty years. By compar- 

 ing these figures for the dead timber with those obtained for 

 the green timber which was estimated at the same time on the 

 same basis, the percentage of insect loss can be very fairly de- 

 termined. 



The final results of the reconnaissance show that the amount 

 of loss varies from twenty to fifty per cent, of the total stand. 

 This is on an area where the insect infestation was not at all 

 conspicuous and where it has been only rarely noticed and re- 

 ported by residents and Forest officers. 



