sprouts on fire killed hardwoods. The one source of error 

 incurred is that it is impossible to tell if sprouts five years 

 old were killed by a fall fire in the sixth year, or by a 

 spring fire in the fifth year. This error is more than bal- 

 anced, however, by the fact that many areas have burned 

 more than once in the five-year period. 



It was thus determined for Wake County that 2.8 per 

 cent of the plots or 8,675 acres were burned in the current 

 year, while 11.4 per cent or 35,313 acres were burned in 

 the five-year period. The average annual burn in this 

 county for the five-year period was 2.3 per cent or 7,064 

 acres. 



Table 22 was developed from the average burned acre- 

 age figures of the sample counties. The development of 

 this table presupposes that the sample counties contained 

 representative conditions in each region. 



OVERWHELMING FIRE PROBLEM IN EASTERN 

 NORTH CAROLINA 



On the coastal side of the Northern and Southern Coast- 

 al Plains there is a strip, approximately 75 miles wide 

 from Virginia to South Carolina, that features conditions 

 not to be found on such a large scale anywhere else in the 

 United States. There are about 25 counties lying in this 

 area. This coastal region is typified by flat land, sand 

 ridges, pocosins, bays, and swamps. 



The fire situation in this region is one that will need 

 more money, trained men, and research to control. The 

 present fire protection system is quite inadequate and can- 

 not possibly solve the problem, which arises from the in- 

 flammability and rapid growth of vegetation; peaty and 

 inflammable nature of much of the soil in time of drouth; 

 large unbroken forests tracts; and attitude of the people. 



Table 21 

 ESTIMATED ACREAGE AND PER CENT OF FOREST LAND BURNED IN 21 SAMPLE COUNTIES FOR 

 ONE-YEAR AND FIVE-YEAR P ERIODS. 



Gross Forest % Burned Acreage % Burned Acreage Av. Annual Av. Annual 



County Acreage 1 Year Burned 5 Years Burned Burn— % Burn— Acreage 



NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN 



Beaufort 363,779 16.7 60,751 53.3 193,894 10.7 38,779 



Bertie 306,916 4.1 12,584 29.3 89,926 5.9 17,985 



Currituck 80,022 3.2 2,560 13.8 11,040 2.8 2,208 



Halifax 239,357 8.6 20,585 17.7 42,605 3.6 8,521 



Tyrrell 213,481 7.5 16,011 55.3 118,055 11.1 23,611 



SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN 



Bladen 425,295 11.9 50,610 36.1 153,532 7.2 30,706 



Harnett 238,134 13.9 33,100 49.1 116,924 9.8 23,385 



Jones 231,931 27.6 64,013 58.0 134,520 11.7 26,904 



Pender 465,111 38.3 178,138 67.0 311,624 13.4 62,325 



Richmond 191,411 7.4 14,164 30.4 58,189 6.1 11,638 



Wayne 175,824 6.0 10,549 21.1 37,099 4.2 7,420 



PIEDMONT 



Caswell 152,842 * 1.7 2,958 .3 519 



Gaston 85,233 * 14.6 12,444 2.9 2,489 



Randolph 303,483 * 7.5 22,761 1.5 4,552 



Wake 309,820 2.8 8,675 11.4 35,319 2.3 7,064 



Yadkin 94,122 * .0 * * * 



MOUNTAINS 



Ashe 91,276 * 4.0 3,651 .8 730 



Buncombe 273,284 * 3.0 8,198 .6 1,640 



Caldwell 220,559 * * * * * 



Graham 172,900 * * * * * 



Jackson 253,252 * * * * * 



* Some burning present, did not encounter any on sample plots dis-tributed in all sections of county. 



Table 22 

 ESTIMATED REGIONAL BURN BASED ON 5-YEAR PERIOD PRECEDING THE APPRAISAL. 



Region 



Gross Acreage 

 Forest Land 



Total Burn 

 5 Yrs. % 



Total Acreage 

 Burned 5 Yrs. 



% Burn 

 1 Yr. 



Average Annual 

 Acreage Burned 



North Coastal Plain 4,140,752 



South Coastal Plain 5,607,685 



Piedmont 5,050,152 



Mountains 3,998,656 



State Totals 18,797,245 



37.8 



1,565,204 



7.6 • 



313,040 



47.0 



2,635,612 



9.4 



527,122 



7.7 



388,862 



1.5 



77,772 



1.2 



47,984 



.2 



9,597 



24.8 



4,669,338 



4.9 



927,521 



(30) 



