The lodge-pole pine (Pinus contorta, var. 

 Murrayana) lives an adventurous frontier life, 

 and of the six hundred kinds of North American 

 trees no other has so many pioneer characteris- 

 tics. This species strikingly exhibits some of the 

 necessary requisites in trees that extend or 

 maintain the forest-frontier. The characteris- 

 tics which so largely contribute to its success 

 and enable it to succeed through the agency of 

 fire are its seed-hoarding habit and the ability 

 of its seedling to thrive best in recently fire- 

 cleaned earth, in the full glare of the sun. Most 

 coniferous seedlings cannot stand full sunlight, 

 but must have either completely or partly 

 shaded places for the first few years of their 

 lives. 



Trees grow from seed, sprouts, or cuttings. 

 Hence, in order to grow or to bring back a forest, 

 it is necessary to get seeds, sprouts, or cuttings 

 upon the ground. The pitch pine of New Jersey 

 and the redwood of California, whether felled 

 by fire or by axe, will sprout from root or stump. 

 So, too, will the aspen, chestnut, cherry, cotton- 

 wood, elm, most of the oaks, and many other 



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