CHAPTER II 



PROTECTION OF FOREST PROPERTY 



The two great enemies of the forest, fire and wind, have caused 

 the loss of bilhons of feet of timber. Fire has been the more 

 disastrous, some years destroying timber and other property 

 valued at milHons of dollars. Although cut-over lands are 

 still largely neglected, forest-land owners now manifest interest 

 in the protection of their standing timber. 



FIRES 



The damage from fire is greatest in the coniferous forests of 

 the Northeast, the Lake States, the Inland Empire, and the 

 Pacific Coast, where the stand over large areas is sometimes 

 killed outright, and occasionally almost entirely consumed. 



Among the most destructive fires are those which burn in 

 the crowns, leaping from tree to tree. These are difficult to 

 control because they often occur during high winds which fan 

 the flames and carry burning brands for long distances ahead of 

 the main conflagration. 



Surface fires, which run along the ground and feed on the litter 

 and undergrowth, are less serious in their immediate results 

 but if the heat is intense they injure the bark and often kill the 

 cambium. The wounds provide excellent places for the en- 

 trance of fungi and insects which may render the tree of little 

 value in a few years. The degree of damage depends upon the 

 character and age of the stand. Trees which have thick bark 

 suffer less than the thin-barked species. In the yellow pine 

 region of the South, surface fires run through the forest at 

 frequent intervals, but are seldom hot enough to kill many of 

 the larger trees. 



Ground fires are common in the northern forests where organic 

 matter accumulates on the forest floor, sometimes to a depth of 



25 



