6 FORESTS OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 



to graze and made their summer camp. The woman picked huckle- 

 berries and the men hunted deer and goats. They made great fires 

 to dry their berries and kindled smudges to protect their horses from 

 flies. It was also their custom to systematically set out fires as they 

 returned. Burning made the country better for the Indians. The 

 fires kept down the brush and made it more accessible. Deer could 

 be more easily seen and tracked and the huckleberry patches spread 

 more widely over the hills. 



No considerable part of the lower forests of the park has been 

 burned. The principal danger is from lightning. However, few of 

 the trees struck are ignited and these fires are usually extinguished 

 by the rain. On account of the coolness of the air and its greater 

 humidity the fire danger in the forests on the lower slopes of Mount 

 Eainier seems much less than it is in corresponding situations in the 

 main range of the Cascades. 



AGE AND DIMENSIONS OF TREES. 



Trees grow more rapidly at low altitudes than at higher and 

 cooler elevations. Under similar conditions some species increase in 

 size faster than others, but the rate of growth depends principally 

 upon environment. The average increase at the stump in valley land 

 is about 1 inch in 6 years. A Douglas fir growing along the stage 

 road between the park boundary and Longmire's, at the age of 90 to 

 120 years may have a breast diameter of 20 inches and yield TOO feet 

 of saw timber. But many of the trees of this size may be much 

 older on account of having grown in the shade or under other 

 adverse conditions. The trees between 200 and 300 years of age are 

 often 40 to 50 inches in diameter and may yield an average of from 

 2,700 to 5,500 board feet. The largest Douglas firs are sometimes 

 over 400 years old and 60 to 70 inches in diameter. Such trees when 

 sound will produce over 8,000 feet of lumber. 



The western red cedar has a shorter and more tapering trunk and 

 its volume in board feet is proportionally smaller. A tree 50 inches 

 in diameter and 175 feet high contains about 3,400 board feet. 



The size of the trees decreases rapidly at higher elevations. In the 

 subalpine forest the annual growth is very small. At elevations of 

 6,000 feet the white-bark pine requires 200 years to attain a diameter 

 of 10 or 12 inches. The annual rings are so close together that they 

 can not be distinguished without a magnifying glass. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES. 

 DOUGLAS FIR (PSEUDOTSUGA TAXIFOLIA). 



The Douglas fir (figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5) is the best known and the 

 most important timber tree of western North America. It is found 



