54 



D. Damage to Grazing 



Burning ie often indulged in to improve gre,zing 

 and facilitate stock -gathering. This no doubt will 

 improve most browsw range by increasing the number of 

 tender shoots and rendering penetrable to stock, such 

 brush -fields as are extremely dense. On the other hand 

 burning the grazing area will usually result in the loss 

 of part of the grazing season. If burning is continued 

 at short intervals, site deterioration is bound to oc- 

 cur, S^rtheimore, some of the more valuable browse 

 species as blue-brush, deer brush, California black 

 oad, Garry oak, service berry and bitter cherry are more 

 exacting in their soil requirements than are manzanita, 

 chinquapin and snow brush which are much poorer browse. 

 Hence, as soil deterioration takes place, the poorer 

 species will replace the better ones. Thus, repeated 

 light fires damage grazing areas condiderably. It is 

 estimated that the annual range loss due to fire on the 

 National i'orests from 1908-1918, averaged |5,276.00. 



E. J^amage to Watersheds 



Repeated surface fires on watersheds, finally re- 

 duce the stand materially and expose the soil to eros- 

 ive agencies. As a consequence, damage by floods fre- 

 quently results. This may include destruction of pro- 

 perty and life, the cohering of valuable agricultural 



