GROWTH OF OAK IN THE OZARKS 7 



is very probable that one or both of these species should form the 

 main portion of the stand in the future forests in this region. 



Fires. Fires are mainly responsible for the present poor con- 

 dition of the forest. Farmers have repeatedly burned the woods 

 hoping, by this means to improve the grass and to kill out ticks and 

 brush. As a result, the brush which has been killed back has 

 sent up numerous sprouts from the roots and stumps and now 

 more brush is present than there would have been had the fires 

 never occurred. A small sapling or pole may not be killed by 

 fire as it runs through the woods but the bark on one side will be 

 so scorched that it will crack or fall away, thus allowing heart rot 

 fungi to gain entrance. Scattered throughout the forest are tracts 

 where fire has not done much damage. Here is found a consid- 

 erable amount of young stuff in the pole stage. 



Origin and Reproduction. The origin of the forest is mostly 

 seedling. Some of the younger trees, poles and saplings are from 

 sprouts put out from the burned stumps of seedlings. Young 

 post and white oak trees up to about 10 to 12 inches on the stump 

 will sprout fairly well and will reproduce a cut over area. The 

 black oaks sprout vigorously up to the time they reach a diameter 

 of 15 inches. The sprouting capacity of fair sized stumps de- 

 pends somewhat on their height. For example, two 15 inch trees 

 are cut, one with a stump 12 inches high and the other with a 30 

 inch stump. The 12 inch stump will send up good sprouts but the 

 sprouts from the other, if there be any, will usually die before 

 fall. It is advisable to cut timber in winter if the forest is to be re- 

 produced by sprouts. Where hogs run loose in woods it is almost 

 impossible to secure a new stand of seedling growth and sprouts 

 must be relied on or the tract fenced. 



GROWTH STUDIES 



Locality and Field Work. The measurements upon which 

 these growth studies rest were made in the woods northeast of 

 Midco, Missouri, chiefly in Township 27 north and Range 2 west 

 of the Fifth Principal Meridian in Carter County. Here the Mid- 

 Continent Iron Company is engaged in the production of cordwood 

 on a large scale to furnish charcoal for its blast furnace at Midco. 

 The work had the hearty support and cooperation not only of the 

 manager and officers of the company but of the entire personnel 

 at every point where contact was established. Without such co- 



