﻿KIKE". 
  ITS 
  INFLIKN'OK 
  I 
  I'oN 
  TIIK 
  FORE8T 
  CROP. 
  

  

  FIRE: 
  ITS 
  INFLUENCE 
  UPON 
  THE 
  FOREST 
  CROP. 
  

  

  Conservative 
  lumbering 
  ran 
  never 
  be 
  successfully 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  unless 
  precautions 
  arc 
  taken 
  against 
  fire. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  valuation 
  survey- 
  notes 
  were 
  kept 
  of 
  fire 
  damage, 
  and 
  ii 
  was 
  

   found 
  that 
  only 
  5 
  per 
  eent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  had 
  escaped 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   serious 
  fire 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  ten 
  years. 
  In 
  this 
  region 
  the 
  fires 
  are 
  

   seldom 
  more 
  than 
  ground 
  tires, 
  consuming 
  the 
  leaf 
  mold, 
  grass, 
  and 
  

   other 
  ground 
  cover, 
  seedlings, 
  and 
  young 
  growth 
  of 
  all 
  kinds, 
  but 
  very 
  

   rarely 
  burning 
  a 
  tree 
  which 
  has 
  passed 
  the 
  sapling 
  stage. 
  Where 
  the 
  

   flames 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  10 
  feet 
  the 
  fire 
  is 
  considered 
  severe. 
  

  

  Only 
  a 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  mature 
  pine 
  lias 
  been 
  damaged, 
  since 
  

   the 
  bark 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  Shortleaf 
  and 
  the 
  Loblolly 
  Pine 
  possesses 
  excel- 
  

   lent 
  resisting 
  power. 
  On 
  some 
  badly 
  burned 
  areas 
  examined 
  all 
  

   young 
  growth 
  below 
  about 
  20 
  feet 
  in 
  height 
  has 
  been 
  completely 
  

   destroyed. 
  Yet, 
  although 
  all 
  the 
  mature 
  pine 
  and 
  the 
  high 
  poles 
  had 
  

   been 
  very 
  severely 
  scorched 
  and 
  charred, 
  often 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  40 
  feet 
  

   from 
  the 
  ground, 
  they 
  were 
  apparently 
  perfectly 
  sound 
  ami 
  healthy, 
  

   nor 
  had 
  their 
  growth 
  been 
  appreciably 
  checked. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  localities, 
  however, 
  the 
  mature 
  pine 
  has 
  been 
  cut 
  into, 
  3 
  or 
  

   4 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  to 
  determine 
  whether 
  the 
  wood 
  splits 
  easily 
  

   and 
  hence 
  is 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  shingles. 
  A 
  notch 
  about 
  a 
  

   foot 
  square 
  and 
  6 
  inches 
  deep 
  is 
  chopped 
  out. 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  wood 
  is 
  found 
  

   to 
  be 
  unsuitable 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  left 
  standing. 
  From 
  this 
  wound 
  the 
  pitch 
  

   flows 
  freely, 
  hardening 
  in 
  irregular 
  masses 
  on 
  the 
  trunk, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   offering 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  fuel 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  tire. 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  tire 
  will 
  burn 
  in 
  

   such 
  a 
  tree 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  often 
  eating 
  a 
  large 
  hole 
  halfway 
  or 
  more 
  

   through 
  the 
  trunk 
  and 
  weakening 
  it 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  it 
  succumbs 
  

   to 
  the 
  first 
  hard 
  wind. 
  A 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  down 
  " 
  timber 
  on 
  the 
  

   tract 
  has 
  been 
  thrown 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  Where 
  litter 
  and 
  dry 
  branches 
  

   collect 
  around 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  the 
  danger 
  is 
  increased. 
  

  

  The 
  mature 
  oaks, 
  especially 
  White 
  and 
  Post 
  Oak. 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  

   sensitive 
  to 
  fire 
  than 
  the 
  mature 
  pines, 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  killed 
  simply 
  by 
  

   a 
  severe 
  scald. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  Hickory 
  and 
  Sweet 
  Gum. 
  But 
  

   as 
  these 
  hardwoods 
  growing 
  on 
  pine 
  lands 
  are 
  of 
  but 
  little 
  commercial 
  

   value, 
  no 
  great 
  loss 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  their 
  death. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  young 
  growth, 
  tire 
  is 
  very 
  disastrous. 
  When 
  tire 
  

   reaches 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  pine 
  the 
  tree 
  is, 
  with 
  rare 
  exceptions, 
  

   killed. 
  An 
  ordinary 
  ground 
  fire, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  pretty 
  sure 
  to 
  kill 
  all 
  

   pine 
  under 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  height 
  and 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  years 
  old. 
  Seedling 
  growth 
  of 
  

   all 
  kinds 
  is 
  consumed 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  roots. 
  Hut 
  the 
  young 
  hardwoods, 
  

   and 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  both 
  Loblolly 
  and 
  Shortleaf 
  Pine, 
  have 
  the 
  power 
  

   of 
  sending 
  up 
  sprouts 
  after 
  tire. 
  These 
  sprout- 
  come 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  

   roots 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  interfered 
  with 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  

   reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  grow 
  into 
  timber 
  trees. 
  No 
  evidence 
  

   is 
  at 
  hand 
  to 
  show 
  just 
  how 
  many 
  times 
  a 
  young 
  pine 
  may 
  be 
  killed 
  

  

  