FORESTRY 



EDITED BY DR. B. E. FERNOW, 



Director of the New York School of Forestry, Cornell University, assisted by Dr. John C. Gifford, of same 



institution. 



REPLANTING BURNED FORESTS 



H. G. COMSTOCK 



I hand you herewith a clipping from the 

 Call, which I trust you will reprint, as it 

 bears on an important subject, not only on 

 the water supply, but on the protection of 

 game. 



Pasadena, Oct. 19. — Work of replanting the burned 

 forests of this section will be begun in a tew weeks as 

 an experiment. Acting Chief Forester J. W. Tourney, 

 of Washington, was here recently and made an inspec- 

 tion trip by carriage along the foot of the mountains 

 from Arroyo Seco canyon to Santa Anita canyon. As 

 a result ot what he saw of the burned districts he has 

 promised to use his influence with the Government for 

 an appropriation of several hundred dollars to plant 

 seeds in the burned areas next spring. 



Ex-Mayor T. P. Lukens and W. G. KerkhofFare 

 going to do some planting on their own account, how- 

 ever, whether the Government acts or not. The water 

 sheds have been denuded, and unless trees can be 

 made to grow in the mountains North of this city the 

 city's water supply will go. Water has been very 

 scarce all summer, so scarce indeed that street sprink- 

 ling had to be stopped for a time, in half the city, and 

 some of the higher residents could not get water in 

 their bath tubs. 



Mr. Lukens has devoted his time of late to studying 

 forestry just out of pure love of it. When he is in the 

 mountains he carries a sharp stick, with which he 

 thrusts into the ground seeds of pine trees that he 

 happens to see. The seeds will not grow usually un- 

 less helped along by artificial means. Mr. Lukens 

 thinks that if everybody would do just that much many 

 trees would spring up where now seeds decay. He 

 spent the entiie summer in Bear valley, where he 

 built a little house far up in the mountains surrounded 

 with all facilities for studyingand developing seeds of 

 all sorts. One hundred pounds of seeds that Mr. Lu- 

 kens has prepared will arrive shortly and will be 

 pianted in the mountains. Forest Rangers Lew New- 

 comb and John Hartwell went to the mountains to-day 

 lo carry out this scheme of Mr. Lukens and Kerkhoff. 

 They will establish a camp on the Ridge between 

 Eaton's canyon and the Little Santa Anita. They will 

 cut fire tracks along all ridges to the main ridge. 

 These tracks are paths through the brush about 6 

 feet wide, cleared entirely of brush and leaves, so that 

 fire cannot cross. They also furnish avenues of access 

 to fires. Newcomb will plant along these fire tracks 

 seed of the pinus tuber culata, or hickory pine, which 

 Mr. Lukens has been propagating. 



The hickory pine is a native of San Bernardino 

 county and grows there profusely. The seeds are 

 found scattered about the ground. Heat opens them 

 and the process is difficult, because a little too much 

 heat will kill the seed. The tree is practically fire- 

 proof. When a fire strikes it it burns a little way, if it 

 has a good start, and then dies. Sometimes the tree 

 reaches a height of 100 feet, but not often. It grows 

 rapidly. Mr. Lukens has found by experimenting 

 that the tree grows so rapidly that if the seed were 

 planted along the mountains 3 feet apart in 5 years 

 they would cover the area almost impenetrably. The 

 seed must have care, however. It should be planted 

 at the side cf a stone or stick so the sun's rays 

 will not wilt the young plant. Seeds planted last July 

 by Mr. Lukens have attained a height of 3 inches 

 already. 



When Newcomb and Hartwell have planted the 

 ridge between Eaton canyon and Little Santa Anita 

 they will plant between Big Santa Anita and Little 

 Santa Anita. 



The forestry people agree with Mr. Lukens that the 

 first area to be planted is that which has been burned, 

 partly as a protection to the native forests now standing, 



for the fire will stop when it strikes pinus tubtrculata. 

 Then, too, the canyons ought to be planted, because it 

 is in the canyon that the fire usually starts. It these 

 places were planted the forests would be valuable, not 

 alone as preservers of moisture, but the wood is hard 

 and available for use in making ax handles and the like. 

 This section is stirred up over the preservation of the 

 forests, because so many fires have occurred during the 

 past year or 2. There is great trouble in getting the 

 Government to make appropriations. A sum has been 

 secured, however, for the good work of building trails 

 through the mountains and getting out the dead timber. 

 All rangers have been instructed by Mr. Tourney to 

 make careful insp ction through the forests and esti- 

 mate the amount of dead logs that exist. This estimate 

 will be submitted to the Government and the logs will 

 be sold to men who haul them away. When fires occur 

 they get into the logs and burn for days and weeks 

 spreading the sparks to new territory alter the fire was 

 supposed to have been all put out by the fighters 

 Sometimes logs roll long distances out of burned dis- 

 tricts into unburned districts and start new fires. Es- 

 specially is this true when the logs roll into short brush 

 which readily ignites. 



Unless we protect the forests from fires, 

 timber thieves and tramp saw mills, there 

 will be no natural homes for our game and 

 fish. I say fish advisedly, for the Govern- 

 ment hatchery at Baird's, on the McCloud 

 river, was only able to take 8,500,000 sal- 

 mon eggs this season, as against 18,500,000 

 last year. This was because the water was 

 so low in the Sacramento river, into which 

 the McCloud empties, that the fish could 

 not get up the river. The low stage of 

 water is due to denuding the mountains 

 of trees. When you take into considera- 

 tion that mills in this vicinity are saw- 

 ing pine that will only square 8 inches you 

 can form some idea of the devastation in 

 their locality. To make the destruction 

 more complete, after the mills have gath- 

 ered their harvest of pine they sell the 

 remaining trees to woodcutters, who leave 

 nothing that will make 2-fobt engine wood 

 for the railroad. 



I am glad to see forestry have a place 

 in Recreation, for I believe much will 

 be gained by interesting your many read- 

 ers in the preservation of our woods. Mr. 

 Lukens has taken a long step in the right 

 direction, and his example should be fol- 

 lowed by the Government. 



LEARN THE CORRECT NAMES 



I am pleased to see you have added a 

 Forestry Department to Recreation. Will 

 its editor kindly set me straight on the fol- 

 lowing subject? In the Savannah river 

 swamps there are trees variously known as 

 sycamores, poplars, cottonwoods and tulip 

 trees. How many distinct trees to which 

 any of these names can be correctly applied 

 are there in the Savannah river swamps; 



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