156 The Farm Woodlot 



tract for his next cut and has no idea of raising another 

 crop on the same ground. In the woodlot in which the lo- 

 cation is necessarily permanent, the very existence of the 

 forest depends absolutely upon this young growth. A cer- 

 tain amount of timber must be ready for the harvest each 

 year or the woodlot fails of its purpose. To furnish this 

 mature timber regularly and continuously, young growth of 

 all ages must always be present. Fire of any kind breaks up 

 this series and impairs the producing capacity of the forest. 



These fires occur at different times of the year in differ- 

 ent sections of the country but there are two seasons when 

 they are most prevalent. In the spring after the snow has 

 melted and before the vegetation has leafed out, the sun's 

 rays fall directly on the leaf mold and make it as dry as 

 tinder. Practically the same conditions exist in the early 

 autumn after the leaves have fallen and before the snows 

 or fall rains begin. The least spark will then cause a fire 

 which soon gets beyond control unless discovered in the 

 very inception. These are the times when fires are most 

 likely to occur, but a severe drought may bring about 

 these conditions at any time of the year. 



The railroads are responsible for a very large percentage 

 of the forest fires. Sparks from the smoke stack and live 

 coals from the fire box are almost certain to start forest 

 fires in dry seasons. In fact, it was found necessary in a 

 particularly dry season in the Adirondacks to patrol the 

 forests after every train, and the patrol was seldom in 

 vain. Spark arresters on the smoke stacks and regulations 

 restricting the dumping of the ashes to suitable places 

 do away with most of this danger. The clearing and 

 burning over of a strip on either side of the right of way is 



