FIRE RISK 453 



the lurid material his friend the ranger fur- 

 nishes him. 



A surface fire runs higher up than the 

 ground fire. It burns through the under- 

 growth. A surface fire does little damage un- 

 less it spreads and becomes a stand fire. 



A stand fire is the really destructive element 

 to a forest. It burns through the bark of the 

 trees and causes their death. On the Pacific 

 Coast, on the west side of the Cascade and 

 Sierra mountains, fire killed timber stands in- 

 definitely in some situations and makes per- 

 fect lumber. Some timber owners like to see 

 a fire go through their stumpage as it cleans 

 out the underbrush, makes the timber more ac- 

 cessible, the cost of building roads very light 

 and reduces the logging expense considerably. 



A crown fire burns in the crowns of the trees ; 

 it is very rare and as spectacular as unusual. 



The loan value of timber is greatly reduced 

 by the magnifying of the fire risk. The people 

 who circulate the overdrawn reports of losses 

 do not realize how seriously they injure tim- 

 ber owners and the wrong they work on stump- 

 age prices. There are sections of the country 

 where it is almost impossible to borrow money 

 on timberland on account of the supposed fire 

 risk The reports of fire losses sent from the 

 Pacific Coast during the summer and fall of 

 1910 created a feeling of fear about that part 

 of the country amongst bankers and bond 

 dealers. 



