NATURAL REGENERATION OF DOUGLAS FIR. 47 
y slash rneed ‘ni begin falling a few years later. This creates a 
Are hazard among the young orowth that may have followed ee 
the first slash burn. The reburning of the area in order to remove 
this débris is dangerous, because the second fire on an area is likely 
to prevent restocking. 
The overmature stands of Douglas fir in which western hemlock, 
silver fir, noble fir, grand fir, and other species are mixed sometimes 
produce a low percentage of material that is merchantable with the 
present methods of utilization. Therefore much unmerchantable 
material remains standing, and it is not possible to leave the area in 
suitable condition for restocking. It would be better forestry to 
postpone the cutting of areas of this type until trade practices and: 
close utilization make it feasible to cut and use all the species. 
SEED TREES. 
On some areas a large volume of Douglas fir remains that is un- 
merchantable because disease has made it defective. Unmerchant- 
able Douglas-fir trees should be left standing to serve as seed trees 
to assist in restocking the area and as a source of seed in case a second 
fire should occur. There are scarcely any logging areas on which 
there are enough unmerchantable Douglas-fir trees to interfere with 
restocking if they are left standing. About two seed trees per acre 
should be left. Although some Douglas-fir trees are windthrown 
when left standing singly, loss from this cause is not common. If 
only large merchantable trees are available, the leaving of seed trees 
may be prohibitive from a financial standpoint. 
SLASH DISPOSAL. 
Mature or overmature forests produce the conditions that are 
generally favorable to the coming in of young growth after a 
forest fire. The litter and duff form a deep layer on the forest 
floor, and the cool, shady situation under the forest provides favor- 
able conditions for seed storage. When this type of stand is cut, 
the leaving of a large amount of débris after logging is inevitable. 
Piling the slash can not be considered, because there is too much 
heavy material left on the ground and too much débris to be piled, 
To remove the fire hazard thus created necessitates broadcast 
burning. This method will probably be continued for some time 
in these virgin stands of Douglas fir and associated species. New 
ways of utilization may cause some variation in the methods of 
logging and slash disposal, but there is no system of cutting now in 
use that will appreciably reduce the amount of the débris. 
Not only does a broadcast slash fire create an intense heat and 
endanger both the seed in the forest floor and the seed trees them- 
selves, but it is also a menace to surrounding stands of timber or 
young growth. Consequently it is desirable to reduce the heat as 
much as possible and prevent the spreading of the fire beyond the 
area of slash to be burned. The method best adapted for securing 
these results is summed up in the following rules: 
1. Burn the slash the first season after logging. 
2. Burn the slash in early spring or late fall when the forest 
floor is moist. 
