of 



ones. This would make an intensely hot and 

 flame-writhing fire. It appears that a veteran 

 spruce forest had occupied this burn prior to 

 the fire. The fire had occurred fifty-seven years 

 before. Trees old and young testified to the 

 date. In the margin of the living forest on the 

 edge of the burn were numerous trees that were 

 fire-scarred fifty-seven years before; the re- 

 growth on the burn was an even-aged fifty-six- 

 year growth. 



That night, as the fire neared the young tree 

 growth, I scaled a rock ledge to watch it. Before 

 me, and between the fire and the rocks, stood 

 several veteran lodge-pole pines in a mass of 

 dead-and-down timber. Each of these trees had 

 an outline like that of a plump Lombardy pop- 

 lar. They perished in the most spectacular man- 

 ner. Blazing, wind-blown bark set fire to the 

 fallen timber around their feet; this fire, to- 

 gether with the close, oncoming fire-front, so 

 heated the needles on the lodge-poles that they 

 gave off a smoky gas ; this was issuing from every 

 top when a rippling rill of purplish flame ran up 

 one of the trunks. Instantly there was a flash 



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