1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



361 



burning the forest floor is the fact 

 that it does not consider the many 

 phases of the question but attempts to 

 force one solution on several problems. 

 There are at least three distinct varia- 

 tions in the question, (a) The protec- 

 tion of virgin timber, (b) the protec- 

 tion of old logged land, and (c) the 

 protection of land as it is logged from 

 year to year. 



(a) The Protection of Virgin Tim- 

 ber. It is to the advantage of all 



the cover of the present trees, and in 

 a forest successfully protected from 

 fire there should be plenty of young 

 growth to take the place of old trees 

 when they are removed. (Fig. i.) In 

 the open type of forest, fire protection 

 is still more important. This type 

 has been potentially lowered by re- 

 peated burning, but there is no doubt 

 that a cessation of fire will result in a 

 successful reproduction even in the 

 midst of chaparral. This is very bril- 



Fig. 7. Logged yellow pine with young growth left standing. 

 Fire protection absolutely necessary 



to see that lands which have not been 

 logged are rigorously protected from 

 fire. Apart from destroying young 

 growth, continual fires burn out the 

 bases of the old timber and lessen the 

 value of saw logs. In some places the 

 average damage from this cause rises 

 to as much as ten per cent, of the 

 value of the trees affected. This is 

 serious enough, but even greater is 

 the damage to young growth. Repro- 

 duction is alwavs more certain under 



liantly shown in the neighborhood of 

 Placerville, Eldorado county. About 

 fifty years ago the forest was very 

 open, and the ground cover largely 

 chaparral. In the sixties a consider- 

 able part of the country was taken 

 over by ranches in such a manner 

 that many good-sized areas of this 

 open forest were quite inclosed by 

 them. In these places there was no 

 fire, and as a consequence a complete 

 reproduction has occurred. (Fig. (>. ) 



