APPEARANCE OF VEGETATION AROUND ANACONDA. 41 



mountain had not been visited by fire during the hfe of the trees 

 standing there in the summer of 1908. PracticaUy all of the trees, 

 however, were dead, although they showed no evidence of fire scars, 

 with the exception of a few at the top of the mountain, as previously 

 explained. 



In the locality corresponding, approximately, to sees. 17 and 20 

 there were a few red firs which were all dead. A fire evidently had 

 spread over the whole country in this vicinity between Mill and 

 Warm Springs creeks about eighteen or twenty years before, but in the 

 region of sees. 16, 17, 20, and 21 there were millions of lodgepole pines 

 of about fifteen to eighteen years' growth, practically all of which were 

 stunted, their needles were all badly discolored and dying, and re- 

 production over this area was evidently practically impossible. 

 That these lodgepole pines had grown since the fire mentioned, and 

 consequently could not have been injured by it, was shown by the 

 fact that many of them grew by large stumps that were badly burned, 

 and yet the lodgepole pines immediately adjacent were not fire 

 scarred in the slightest degree. 



The ridge between Mill and Clear creeks was followed nearly to 

 Mount Haggin, a point about a half mile into R. 12 W., returning 

 by Clear Creek basin. The farthest point reached was approximately 

 7^ miles from the smelter. The fire of twenty years previous, 

 already mentioned, evidently swept over this locality and destroyed 

 many trees for quite a distance back on the ridge. A number of 

 lodgepole pines, white pines, spruces, balsam firs, and larches, how- 

 ever, were not killed by the fire, though the lodgepole pines were 

 badly discolored and injured nearly as far up as they grew on the 

 ridge. Even the white pines, which are quite resistant to smelter 

 fumes, were injured for a considerable distance, but the damage 

 to this species of trees did not extend so far back on the ridge. At 

 the lower end of Clear Creek basin the lodgepole pines were badly 

 discolored and injured; toward the upper end of the basin this injury 

 was not so great, but could still be noted. 



Mill Creek Canyon was explored for a distance of 5 or 6 miles from 

 the French Gulch road, which runs south from Anaconda to the 

 divide. The farthest point reached was about 10 miles from the 

 smelter. The fire of twenty years previous had run up this canyon 

 for about 3i miles and destroyed many trees. Within this distance, 

 however, some red firs escaped the fire and yet were dying in the 

 summer of 1908. Young lodgepole pines that had come up since 

 the fire were practically all discolored and injured and would evi- 

 dently be totally destroyed in a short time. Beyond the range of 

 fire injury the damage to lodgepole pines continued for some dis- 

 tance, gradually dying out at a point about 5 miles up the creek. 

 Injury to red firs was still apparent at the farthest point visited. 



