70 FOREST PROTECTION 



Northeast, and portions of the Appalachian Mountains. Crown 

 fires are especially serious in young and growing plantations 

 of coniferous trees as they may completely destroy them. 

 2. Surface fires which often kill seedlings and young trees, deplete 

 the fertility of the soil, injure standing timber, lower the rate 

 of growth, and invite the presence of insects and fungi. These 

 are particularly prominent throughout the southern pine 

 forests and also occur in nearly every section of the country. 

 Surface fires may quickly become crown fires under condi- 

 tions conducive to their spread. 



FIG. 35. 10-man fire fighting equipment. Ocala National Forest, Florida. Rakes, 

 forks, shovels, wide faced hoes, axes and cross-cut saws are the tools most com- 

 monly used in the southern pine forests. 



3. Ground fires which occur principally in peat, duff, humus, and 

 moss, especially in swamps such as the sphagnum swamps in 

 the Lake States and the Northeast. When swamps dry out, 

 ground fires occur occasionally in the South and Southeast. 

 They generally burn slowly, but often very disastrously. 



Organized forest fire control began about 1905 with progressive 

 state legislation, and systematic fire prevention and control in the 

 National Forests through the erection of lookout stations, towers, and 

 cabins together with telephone lines. The technique of fire protection 



