PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM FIRE 249 



the ''clean" stand is easy to protect in comparison with 

 a stand that is littered with dry debris. 



Disposal of Brush and Debris. A first practical step 

 is to prevent a further accumulation of debris in a forest 

 by disposing of the slash from new cuttings. The ap- 

 plication in all forests of a uniform method for disposing 

 of this material would, however, be unwise. It should 

 be clearly understood that no fixed rule of procedure and 

 no single method could possibly fit all the different for- 

 est conditions in a country so large as the United States. 

 The method used in any given case must be chosen after 

 a careful study, and must rest upon a complete knowl- 

 edge of the local conditions. Many methods have been 

 tried in the disposal of brush, but those producing the 

 best results are the following: 



1. Piling and burning as logging proceeds. 



2. Piling and burning in separate operations. 



3. Lopping the tops. 



4. Lopping the tops and scattering the brush. 



5. Broadcast burning. 



Piling and Burning Brush as Logging Proceeds. 

 The most economical method of destroying brush and 

 debris produced in lumbering is to burn it as the logging 

 proceeds. This is possible when the ground is covered 

 with snow or is so damp that fire will not spread. The 

 work is done by the logging crew. As the trees are 

 felled, convenient locations for burning the brush are 

 selected, where no damage will be done to the trees and 

 to young growth left standing, and where the fires will 



