The brown-spot needle fungus, which may seri- 

 ously retard the growth and development of young 

 longleaf under 18 inches in height, is serious on less 

 than 1 percent of the survey unit. Hogs also dam- 

 age longleaf by feeding on the roots of trees in the 

 seedling and sapling stages. While hogs are a 

 serious factor outside the palmetto and gallberry 

 range, evidence of hog damage was present on only 

 1 percent of the area of sapling stands and on 5 

 percent of the reproduction area of northeastern 

 Florida. 



Fire Damage 



The survival of pine reproduction depends to a 

 large degree upon the prevention of fires. Visible 

 evidence of forest fires, such as dead reproduction, 

 charred stumps, and burned turpentine faces was 

 present on 85 percent of the forest area. Many of 

 the fires in the longleaf and slash pine types, 94 

 percent of whose acreage showed evidence of fires, 

 are due to the practice of raking and burning in the 

 turpentine stands to protect turpentine trees with 



working faces. Undoubtedly much of the damage 

 to the other types is due to these fires proceeding 

 unchecked into the bays and river bottoms. Dam- 

 age to hardwoods is usually confined to the forma- 

 tion of open wounds, through which rot-producing 

 fungi enter and reduce the merchantable volume. 



Slightly over 3 percent of the entire forest area 

 showed heavy damage from fire. Particularly 

 heavy damage occurred during 1931 and 1932 

 when a severe drought increased the fire hazard. 

 The hardwood bottoms and bays and many cypress 

 ponds dried out, with the result that they sustained 

 a proportionately heavier damage than did the 

 pine. Of all the heavy fire damage recorded, it is 

 estimated that 19 percent occurred during 1931 

 and 1932. 



Only 30 percent is now (1938) under organized 

 fire protection, and large improvement is therefore 

 possible. Progress has been made, but redoubled 

 efforts are essential to preserve reproduction, 

 accelerate growth, maintain satisfactory turpen- 

 tine areas, and reduce the fire drain on merchant- 

 able volume. 



1 6 



