Reproduction of Forests in British North America. 163 



trees when cut down are always burned, and, that this may be 

 effected as completely as possible ; the driest weather is frequently 

 selected; although the fire then is much more likely to spread 

 into the surrounding woods. It frequently happens that the 

 woods contain large quantities of dry branches and tops of trees, 

 left by cutters of timber and firewood, who rarely consider any 

 part of the tree except the trunk worthy of their attention. Even 

 without this preparation, however, the woods may in dry weather 

 be easily inflamed ; for although the trunks and foliage of grow- 

 ing trees are not very combustible, the mossy vegetable soil, much 

 resembling peat, burns easily and rapidly. Upon this mossy soil 

 depends, in a great measure, the propagation of fires, the only 

 exception being when the burning of groves of the resinous conif- 

 erous trees is assisted by winds, causing the flame to stream 

 through their tops more rapidly than it can pass along the ground. 

 In such cases some of the grandest appearances ever shewn by 

 forest fires, occur. The fire, spreading for a time along the ground, 

 suddenly rushes up the tall resinous trees with a loud crashing 

 report, and streams far beyond their summits, in columns and 

 streamers of lurid flame. It frequently happens, however, that in 

 ^ r et or swampy ground, where the fire cannot spread around their 

 roots, even the resinous trees refuse to bum ; and thus swampy 

 tracts are comparatively secure from fire. In addition to the 

 causes of the progress of fires above referred to, it is probable that 

 a t a certain state of the growth of the forests, when the trees have 

 attained to great ages, and are beginning to decay, they are more 

 readily destroyed by accidental conflagrations. In this condition 

 uie trees are often much moss-grown, and have much dead and 

 dry wood ; and it is possible that we should regard fires arising 

 from natural or accidental causes, as the ordinary and natural 

 agents for the removal of such worn-out forests. 



Where circumstances are favorable to their progress, forest fires 

 *ftay extend over great areas. The great fire which occurred in 

 18 '25, in the neighborhood of the Miramichi river, in New Bruns- 

 wick, devastated a region one hundred miles in length and fifty 

 mile s in breadth. One hundred and sixty persons, and more than 

 ?*ght hundred cattle, besides innumerable wild animals, are said to 

 Jjave perished in this conflagration. In this case, a remarkably 

 ^y summer, a light soil easily affected by drought, and a forest 

 imposed of full-grown pine trees, concurred with other causes 

 m P^ducing a conflagration of unusual extent. 



W hen the fire has passed through a portion of forest, it this 

 c °nsist principally of hardwood trees, they are usually merely 

 «eorched,~.to such a degree, however, as in most cases to cause 

 ^eir death ; some trees such as the birches, probably from the 

 po« inflammable nature of their outer bark, being more easily 

 *d than others. Where the woods consist of softwood or co- 





