58 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN 



until the resultant even-aged second growth is large enough 

 to stand slight fire, and then burning periodically at such a 

 season and with such safeguards as will prevent the fire from 

 being injuriously severe. 



Not only are there many existing forests where absence of 

 small trees will permit clean cutting without sacrifice, but the 

 same condition is likely to occur eventually in stands follow- 

 ing selective logging if the second cut is long delayed. A I 

 though a good representation of all ages under the diameter 

 limit remains, the density of this may become too great to 

 allow further reproduction, and in time the dominant trees 

 will shade out all smaller growth. To allow this purposely, 

 choosing heavy cuts at intervals long enough to mature the 

 crop from seed rather than frequent light cuts of a con- 

 stantly replenishing stand, thus reducing the necessity of fire 

 prevention, is the aim of those who favor clean cutting as the 

 most practicable system. They assume that additional invest- 

 ment in seed trees, or planting to insure prompt starting of a 

 new crop after cutting, will be unnecessary or at least offset 

 by the smaller fire charge and greater economy of logging. 



Theoretically, such practice with a species adapted to the 

 selective method is uneconomical, for the ground is not fully 

 utilized. Accidental open places in the stand are not occu- 

 pied by young trees which would otherwise fill them. Time is 

 lost by not starting the second crop until after logging, for 

 were there no fire previously there would be considerable 

 seedling growth which, although perhaps dormant because of 

 shade, would begin to amount to something much quicker 

 than that supplied by seed trees afterward. Nor is the sys- 

 tem feasible where there is much fir or other species less fire- 

 resisting than pine. It is dangerous in practice except where 

 there is very little combustible matter on the ground and fire 

 is generally easy of control, and exceedingly dangerous to ad- 

 vocate because it serves as a pretext and example for indis- 

 criminate carelessness with fire under all conditions. Finally, 

 the alleged immunity of pine from injury by ground fires is 

 exaggerated. As a matter of fact, while the whole stand is 



