>^*-0 n ited^stat e s 

 -department" 

 of agriculture 



wITH UUCLS SAM'S ILVTUEALISTS 



IN FOlRj^AT lO N 



U. 8, T(fip(»nni-(i' 0- A 



Friday. March 26. 



1930 



ANlJOUlIcaiE^rr • Our filds Man is extra wild today. He has "been on a 

 visit with Uncle Sam's Naturalists in the Forest Service. He has 

 been going over the records of o-ur forest fires. He has had burned 

 into his rnind a few facts about fire which it might be well for all 

 of us to remember Isn't that right, Tilds Man? *** 



We had a big fire in the forests of California in the year 

 two hundred and forty-five. 



That is what I-Ir, C, S, Randall, of the U.S. Forest Service, 

 told me. Then he went on to say that we had another bi.~ fire in 



our forests in fourteen forty-one fifty-one years before Columbus 



landed on this side of the world 



"What there," I said. "Who knows about those fires? 



We couldn't have any records " 



"Oh, yes," Mr, Randall insisted, "the records are burnt into 

 the trees themselves. Fire-scars in the big trees of California, in 

 those cases, have given us the dates. It is simply a matter of count- 

 ing the annual growth rings. Counting the rings from the outside into 

 the scar in the top of a stump or end of a log gives the date, 



"In some fires," he wont on to explain, "especially ground fires 

 b\irning the litter on the forest floor, some of the older, more vigor- 

 ous trees may be damaged only slightly. New growth covers up the damage; 

 leaving only the fire-scars in the wood to toll the tale, I'lany other 

 tress may be only wounded badly enough to let in insects and rot-pro- 

 ducing fungi which further damage or kill the tree. Many other trees 

 may be killed outright by the fire. But tremendous as is such damage 

 from trees killed outright, the wounding of trees and the destruction 

 of the litter which helps feed the forest and reduce floods by checking 

 the run-off is probably equally iii5)ortant. 



"I mentioned those ancient fires, just to point out that ever 

 since wo have had forests we have had forest fires," 



"What caused them back in those days," I asked, 



"Lightning or Indians," ho replied, 'Tou sec there sire two chief 

 Fire Demons; Lightning and Careless Man. Lightning is still one of 

 our most important causes of fire. Next to railroads and lightning, 

 however, campers rank first. 



