40 MISC. PUBLICATION 10 9, IT. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



4. What animals injure tree seedlings in the California forests? 



Sheep, deer, rabbits, and squirrels. Animals usually injure seed- 

 lings by feeding on them in the absence of other tender green forage 

 plants. 



5. Are porcupines injurious to forests? 



Yes. They kill small trees by chewing off the bark and thus gir- 

 dling them, or kill the tops of saplings by girdling the terminal 

 shoots of the main stem or trunk. Porcupines are not protected by 

 law in California. 



6. What is the white-pine blister rust? 



A disease of white or 5-needle pines which girdles and kills the 

 affected part of the tree. It can not spread directly from pine to 

 pine, but must go from pines to currants or gooseberries and then 

 back to pines. 



7. Is white-pine blister rust a menace to California's forests? 



Yes. Sugar pines and several other important species of pines in 

 the State are susceptible. The disease is in Oregon and may soon 

 reach California. It has been intensively studied, quarantines are in 

 effect, and local control measures are being worked out. 



8. What causes rot in trees? 



Rot or decay, sometimes termed dote or peckiness, is caused by the 

 action on the wood by fungi, low forms of plant life related to the 

 mushrooms. The fungus threads penetrate the wood and break it 

 down. 



9. What are the black " conks " often seen on white firs, and do 

 they do any harm? 



" Conks " are the fruiting bodies of a wood-decay fungus which 

 rots the heartwood. Their presence always indicates considerable rot 

 in the tree. They are harmful because they produce the fine spores, 

 corresponding to seeds of higher plants, by which the fungus is 

 spread to other trees. 



10. How does a wood-rotting fungus get into a tree? 



The spores of the fungus, like extremely fine seeds, lodge on wood 

 exposed in fire scars, wounds, or knots and when conditions are right 

 start growing into the wood. 



11. How do dry years affect the forests? 



Springs and streams dry up or become very low, seedling trees and 

 many older ones die from want of water, growth is reduced in those 

 that survive, and resistance to insect attacks is lessened. Also fires 

 are more destructive in dry years, and feed for grazing animals is 

 scanty. 



REFORESTATION 



1. Is the Forest Service planting any trees on denuded areas in the 

 national forests of the California region? 



Yes. Coniferous planting stock is being grown in Forest Service 

 nurseries and planting commenced on large burned areas in several 



IF YOU DON'T KNOW, ASK A UNITED STATES FOREST 



RANGER 



