114 North American Forests and Forestry 



study of this question has never yet been made. 

 Scattered observations are found throughout the 

 voluminous forestry literature of the country, but 

 much remains to be learned by actual detailed 

 study in the field. 



It has already been stated that the origin of 

 practically every forest fire is by the negligence of 

 human beings. Such negligence, however, would 

 find nothing to act upon if it were not for the 

 enormous quantity of dry, inflammable litter which 

 accumulates in the uncared-for forests of our 

 country. Enormous brush heaps, consisting of the 

 tops and branches of felled trees, are left by the 

 lumbermen lying on the ground to dry ; every 

 windfall causes an even worse tangle of drying 

 sticks ; in many forms of vegetation a large amount 

 of thin, dry twigs accumulates on the ground as the 

 trees gradually clear themselves of their lower 

 branches. In the Lake region tamarack and cedar 

 swamps are one of the most prolific sources of 

 fires. Many of these swamps are rapidly drying 

 in the natural course of their life-history. In fact, 

 many tamarack thickets in that section no longer de- 

 serve the name swamp. The cushions of sphagnum 

 and other mosses, which in these swamps often reach 

 a thickness of several feet, become dry every sum- 

 mer, and in this condition are as easily set afire as 

 a pile of loose cotton. The Phillips fire started in 

 a drying tamarack swamp just west of the city. 



As a general rule, fires do little harm to hard- 

 wood forests, although occasionally the flames 



