TOP-LOPPING IN THE ADIRONDACKS 79 



brush has previously been burned, it will carry a fire and ignite the duff 

 in extremely dry weather, whether tops have been lopped or not. 



Observations were made on the bum of May 20, 1911, near Sperry 

 Pond, in the Whitney Preserve, where tops were lopped in 1909. The 

 conditions here indicated, that, in case of spring fires, the bottoms of the 

 piles of lopped tops remain in a moist condition much longer than 

 where tops have not been lopped. Fine branches were found unbumed 

 at the bottom of what had been a pile of lopped tops, indicating that the 

 moisture from snow and rain had been retained far beyond the time 

 when similar material exposed to sun and wind would have become 

 thoroughly inflammable. 



It seems fair, therefore, to conclude that a spring fire in lopped tops 

 may not injure the soil as much as one in unloppe'd tops, where there 

 has been a better opportunity for the drying action of sun and wind. 

 Later in the season the situation might be reversed, but, as noted, by 

 the time the piles of lopped tops have become thoroughly dry, as a 

 result of extreme weather conditions, the duff will have become suffi- 

 ciently dry to bum readily, regardless of the intensity of the surface 

 fire. 



(3) Effect on Remaining old Forest 



The considerations already discussed with regard to the relative 

 intensity of fires in lopped and unlopped tops, are also the controlling 

 factors here. It is possible that a fire occurring in lopped tops within 

 two or three years after a lumbering operation will destroy more of the 

 remaining old trees than would be the case in unlopped tops. The 

 controlling factor would be the relative amount of inflammable debris 

 piled against or near the standing timber. In a pulp operation, how- 

 ever, it is believed there would be little if any difference within three 

 years, since from 75 to 90 per cent, of the branches will be lopped 

 anyway, and a fire in these would be hot enough to kill any green 

 timber standing near the piles, regardless of whether the remaining 

 10 to 25 per cent, were lopped or not. After the first three years, on 

 the other hand, the danger on lopped tops should grow rapidly less, on 

 account of decay and the greater degree of moisture where material is 

 on the ground or in pUes. After^y or 8 years, the slash danger will have 

 practically disappeared in lopped tops, while it will still be very serious 

 in an tmlopped slashing. The percentage of brush resisting decay, on 

 accotmt of being supported above the grotind, wUl be so small and so 

 widely distributed in a lopped cutting, that the menace from this 

 sotirce will not be serious, and the situation could readily be con- 

 trolled in case a fire should occur. 



