6 



stand, a result of ancient Indian fires. Within the last sixty years, 

 however, fires have done little damage in the virgin timber, although 

 prevalent on the cut-over lands since lumbering began. A heavy 

 seeding about fifty-five years ago brought a large number of trees into 

 the forest, which are at present from 12 to 18 inches in diameter. 

 Besides the young trees scattered among the old ones, several open- 

 ings were seeded up to dense stands, which at present average about 

 16 inches in diameter. Another series of heavy seedings began from 

 ten to fifteen years ago, and resulted in a large number of dense thick- 

 ets in the openings of the old-forest. Some of these are of considerable 

 size, one covering more than a section. Except in the thickets the 

 ground cover is chaparral, mainly buck brush (Ceanoihus cordulatus), 

 with a considerable mixture of manzanita (ArctostapJiylos glauca). 

 It is not dense enough, however, to prevent the pine seedlings from 

 coming through it, and they have rapidly overtopped it in height. 

 Logging has left practically all the timber which has come in during 

 the last sixty years, together with some of the smaller stuff of the 

 old stand. Remarkably little damage was done in felling, and prac- 

 tically all the young growth was left intact. The ground, however, 

 was left covered with debris. On areas where fire has not occurred 

 since logging, the pole timber is in excellent condition, and the seed- 

 lings are well above the chaparral. 



THE FIB, TYPE. 



This type of forest occurs upon the moister and deeper soils. It is 

 composed of white and red fir, cedar, a small percentage of sugar pine, 

 and a slight amount of yellow pine. The trees are of large size, 

 particularly the red fir and yellow pine, and the forest is very dense. 

 Fires have not been prevalent for many years in this type, and there is 

 a dense undergrowth of white fir. Logging removes all the sugar pine 

 and the best red and white fir and cedar, leaving all the undesirable 

 large trees and the poles of all species under 18 inches. In so dense a 

 forest, timber felling naturally has caused some damage, but as a whole 

 the trees left are not badly injured, and are now doing well in the 

 increased light which they receive. 



Logging debris is very heavy in this type ; but the greater part has 

 miraculously escaped destruction by fire. 



FIRE. 



From the preceding description of the forest, the danger of fire 

 should be fully apparent. The time of greatest danger is, of course, 

 the dry season, when every bit of debris and brush becomes like so 

 much tinder. The danger is further emphasized by the presence of 

 the inflammable chaparral areas and the vast quantities of slash on 



[Cir. 79.] 



