256 THE PRINCIPLES OF HANDLING WOODLANDS 



to from 10 to 50 cents per thousand. There is no reason 

 why the piling alone in coniferous forests should cost 

 more than 25 cents per thousand, except where the tops 

 are unusually large and the physical difficulties unusual. 



Burning the Piles. — An excellent time for burning 

 brush piles is immediately after the first snow of winter. 

 This is usually a light fall, and the snow does not pene- 

 trate the compact piles of brush sufficiently to prevent 

 burning. There is no danger of the fire running on the 

 ground, and the branches of the standing trees are so 

 damp as to prevent injury by the rising flames. If the 

 brush is burned before winter, it should be only during 

 damp weather, when the ground is so wet that fire will 

 not run easily. 



When large areas of piled brush are to be burned the 

 work should be organized with care. It should never be 

 undertaken when there is a strong wind, and the best 

 time is in calm weather. If there is any wind, the burn- 

 ing should begin with the piles on the lee side. Several 

 piles may be fired at one time, but they should be some 

 distance apart, with one or more unburnt piles between 

 them. When the first fires have burned down to coals, 

 the intermediate piles may be ignited. This alternating 

 method of burning the piles prevents the injury to trees 

 and young growth between the piles that might result 

 from the collective volume of heat of adjacent fires. 

 Just as the brush on level ground is burned against the 

 wind, so, on a hillside, the piles near the top are burned 

 first, and the work progresses down the slope. 



