A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1431 



some stands, particularly of hardwoods, it may impose a delay in 

 making final cuttings. 



2. Slash disposal, or disposal of the debris of logging by some form 

 of controlled burning, or other means, on all areas where it constitutes 

 a serious threat of destructive fires. In few regions will it be neces- 

 sary to destroy all slash; partial disposal, that is disposal throughout 

 or surrounding areas of high risk, will be the rule. No disposal is 

 necessary where utilization is very close. In regions of extreme fire 

 danger special protection of logged-over land, until the slash hazard 

 is reduced, will be either a subsitute for, or a supplement to slash 

 disposal. 



3. Prevention of overgrazing on reproducing areas. This requires 

 consideration in comparatively few forest regions. 



4. Miscellaneous measures, such as reservation of seed trees from 

 turpentining in the South, and girdling or otherwise destroying old 

 worthless trees which prevent valuable young growth from developing, 

 in the hardwood forests of the East. 



A table summarizes the necessary measures in each important 

 forest type subject to devastation, and the net cost of stopping 

 devastation of private forest lands is discussed. 



MEASURES TO BE APPLIED IN WESTERN FORESTS 



The main timber types of the West which are subject to devastation 

 are the Douglas fir, the western larch-western white pine, the sugar 

 pine-ponderosa pine, and the ponderosa pine proper, as shown in 

 figure 2, in the section Forest Land the Basic Resource. 



DOUGLAS FIR TYPE 



For purposes of clearer discussion it is necessary to recognize two 

 subdivisions of this type the spruce-hemlock fog belt, and the 

 Douglas fir proper. 



THE SPRUCE-HEMLOCK FOG BELT 



This subtype is essentially uneven-aged, often 2-storied, and con- 

 sists of a variable mixture of the high value spruce and Douglas fir 

 and the low value hemlock, the latter usually predominating. It is 

 subjected to ocean fogs and rain even in the summer, and the number 

 of fire-danger days is small. The usual logging practice at present 

 is clean cutting, with highspeed (generally steam-driven) machinery, 

 usually followed by intentional broadcast burning. While the fire 

 danger in uncut timber or selectively cut timber is acute only occasion- 

 ally, clean-cut areas or burned-over logged land will burn fiercely on a 

 good many days in any summer. 



Natural reproduction of the prevailing species, either in the open 

 or in partial shade is profuse provided there is a nearby seed supply. 

 Hemlock is favored by moisture and protection; spruce, which is 

 usually in the minority, seems to be favored by light and mineral soil. 

 Red alder inclines to fill in the moister clean-cut openings and is a 

 species not to be despised, but rather to be encouraged where it will 

 make a good stand. 



The measures which will insure leaving this type in reasonably 

 productive condition are simple and quite sure of giving results. 



168342 33 vol. 2 25 



