;nid ."u per cent ordinary air. Since the air contains 

 21 per cent oxygen, this mixture would contain 21 

 JUT cent of 57 or 12 per cent oxygen enough to sup- 

 port combustion. From such facts Forest Service 

 officials believe that effective use of gas bombs for 

 fire fighting in forests is entirely out of the question. 



The original forest has been completely removed in 

 New -Jersey and Maryland. It is very nearly gone 

 in Virginia and is rapidly being cut away in "West 

 Virginia. In spite of fires in the past reproducton 

 has taken place in most localities and extensive cut- 

 ling is going on in second growth. In. some of the 

 older localities the third and fourth cutting is being 

 made. Generally the cutting now under way is very 

 heavy, either cleaning the ground or taking the 

 trees down to six or eight inches in diameter for 

 uses such as mine props, box material, poles and 

 other materials in which very small trees can be 

 utilized. Many wood-using industries have run short 

 of supplies and some have been compelled to close * 

 down their operations. Organized fire protection is 

 being carried on in all the states represented. In 

 those localities where carried on it is effective in ac- 

 complishing the renewal of the forest, but some 

 areas have been so heavily cut and burned that they 

 lie completely wasted with only a covering of bram- 

 ble and brush growth. This is true in the hardwood 

 section of western Maryland, western Virginia and 

 \\Vst Virginia. 



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