ROLE OF FIRE IN CALIFORNIA PINE FORESTS 51 
LOWER LITTER 
(Compact partly decom posed) 
Immediate effect—Partially burned, charred, or untouched. 
Subsequent effect—Roughed up by wind and storm; more readily inflammable 
than before. 
BRUSH 
(Whitehorn, rabbit brush, bitter brush, and sage) 
Immediate effect.—Killed but not consumed. 
Subsequent effect.—New growth from seeds and sprouts more dense than befoe; 
ant popaded that were held before by reproduction; litter increased by 
dead brush. 
SEEDLING REPRODUCTION 
Immediate effect.—Killed, but mostly not consumed by fire. 
Subsequent effect—No new reproduction; litter from dead seedlings added to 
that from other sources. 
SAPLING REPRODUCTION 
Immediate effect.—Killed, 75 per cent; not consumed. 
Subsequent effect.—No new reproduction; dead saplings additional source of in- 
flammable material. 
POLE REPRODUCTION 
Immediate effect—Some killed; lower limbs on all poles killed. 
Subsequent effect—Dead poles and limbs add to hazard. 
MERCHANTABLE TIMBER 
Immediate effect.—Occasional large trees killed. 
Subsequent effect—Fall of needles and large quantities of cones and bark from 
killed trees form the main source of litter on the ground where these trees 
stand. 
SQUAW CARPET 
Immediate, effect.—In general, not killed or injured, but checked fire and pro- 
tected seedlings. 
Subsequent effect—Same as before the fire. 
SNAGS AND DOWN LOGS 
Immediate effect.—None completely consumed, many untouched; evidently de- 
veloped heat enough to kill large poles near by. 
Subsequent effect—Still as great a source of danger as ever. 
Although on most of this area only the top layers of litter were 
consumed, on at least one small portion intense damage resulted, 
showing once more that the lightest surface burn, unless extraordi- 
nary precautions are taken, will develop sufficient heat locally to 
destroy merchantable timber. The damage in this case occurred on 
a low ridge where the fire had simultaneously run up opposite sides 
and met at the top. Here, within about 2 acres, a total of 26 western 
yellow pine trees, ranging from 12 to 59 inches in diameter, and with 
a total volume of 59,000 board feet, were killed outright. Although 
this loss is not in itself particularly impressive, it points to one of the 
inherent dangers in light burning, the occasional flare-up of extensive 
surface fires. The amount of loss from burning down was not re- 
corded in detail. Damage from this source, however, was present 
aver the entire burned area, exceeding in amount the loss from heat 
illing. 
