358 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



August 



the dense forest is comparatively lim- 

 ited, and a great area is given over to 

 an open stand of timber, growing in 

 a ground cover of dense chaparral. 

 This open forest has poor timber, both 

 in quantity and quality. It is quite 

 certain that this deterioration in value 

 has been brought about by continued 

 fire, and that without such repeated 

 burning the forest would have been 

 quite as dense and valuable as neigh- 

 boring regions which suffered less se- 

 verely. A continual procession of 



forest flow. The result is typical of 

 great areas (Fig. 2). An open stand 

 of over-mature and deteriorating 

 trees above, and beneath a dense 

 growth of chaparral interspersed with 

 scattering poles and saplings which 

 have escaped the repeated fire. For 

 this and the succeeding class of its 

 forests, California is indebted to the 

 system of Indian burning. 



3. The chaparral field. In places 

 where the fires have been fiercer and 

 more regular, the picture is still more 



Fig. 4. How an open chaparral field increases its bounds (Compare with Fig. l) 



surface fires of more or less intensity, 

 running through the deep litter of the 

 virgin forest burned out the younger 

 growth, but left most of the larger 

 trees standing. This burned ground 

 is a natural seed bed, and at the next 

 seed year the little trees would begin 

 to appear. Another fire, however, 

 would sweep most of them away, and 

 the chaparral, previously kept in check 

 by the dense cover, but quick to ma- 

 ture and a vigorous sprouter, begins 

 to gain a dominating position in the 



dismal. Here the reproduction has 

 failed entirely, and, the old trees grad- 

 ually burned down or dying of old 

 age; the ground is given over entirely 

 to an impenetrable growth of chapar- 

 ral. Figs. 3 and 4 picture a scene com- 

 mon enough through the mountains. 

 There is not the slightest doubt that 

 this land was once heavy forest and 

 acre for acre should be as valuable a 

 possession to the state as any of its 

 natural wealth. Yet as such fields 

 stand to-day, they are not only a nega- 





