1178 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXX, No. 12 
the stand or forest is uniform. This 
principle, of necessity, is of first impor¬ 
tance in the application of the data 
obtained by this study. On this basis, 
the results of single or repeated burns 
are treated separately according to the 
following topographic subdivisions: 
1. Lower north and east aspects. 
2. Middle north and east aspects. 
3. Upper north and east aspects. 
4. Lower south and west aspects. 
5. Middle south and west aspects. 
6. Upper south and west aspects. 
7. Bottoms. 
8. Draws. 
9. Benches. 
10. Tops. 
Further subdivisions of each of the 
above locations may be made accord¬ 
ing to minor local variations of each. 
DEEP'CREEK AREA: BURNS OF 1910, 1919, 
AND 1889 
The Deep Creek area was selected 
because the large and severe fires of 
1910 and 1919 ran rampant there in 
virgin western white pine timber, and 
because there had been neither grazing 
nor lumbering either before or after 
the fires (pi. 1, B). 
Descriptions and records of the forest 
composition previous to 1910 do not 
exist. It is evident from what now 
remains that the entire watershed con¬ 
tained magnificent stands from 200 to 
300 years old of western white pine 
(Pinus monticola), western larch ( Larix 
ocddentalis), Douglas fir (Pseudotsugu 
taxifolia), western hemlock ( Tsuga 
heterophylla) , lodgepole pine (Pinus 
contorta), Engelmann spruce (Picea en- 
gelmanni), lowland fir (Abies grandis), 
and alpine fir (A. lasiocarpa). The 
white pine occurred on all aspects up 
to 4,500 feet, giving way to pure Doug¬ 
las fir only on the high south slopes. 
Engelmann spruce was confined to the 
stream bottoms and lower north slopes. 
Western hemlock stands were heavy 
on north aspects. Larch showed up 
strong on north slopes and terraces, 
while lodgepole pine occurred mostly 
on the sharper knolls or hog backs with 
south and west exposure. 
After looking over the Deep Creek 
burn, it was decided to concentrate on 
a rectangular area roughly designated 
in Figure 1. A great advantage found 
in this selection was the possibility 
of detailed study of different aspects 
by means of a system of strips radi¬ 
ating from a central point. 
Detailed records of field conditions 
and natural reproduction were ob¬ 
tained on chained compass strips. 
Counts of reproduction by species were 
made separately for each chain on a 
strip either 10 or 20 links in width. 
Seedlings the ages of which could not 
be definitely determined were merely 
tallied. Record was made of live and 
dead trees by species. All live trees 
near the strip or within plain view were 
also noted. It was impossible, without 
detailed study, to be sure in all cases of 
the species of dead trees, especially on 
the double burn. The records in¬ 
cluded species of vegetation present, 
the density of the vegetative cover 
from the standpoint of shading or com¬ 
petition, soil conditions, aspect, and 
degree of slope. 
TRAIL CREEK AREA: BURNS OF 1910 
AND 1870 
This part of the 1910 burn is a 
wedge-shaped area of about 200 acres, 
lying south of Trail Creek and rising 
with regular slopes and uniform grades 
from 3,100 to 4,000 feet elevation, 
with northwest and northeast aspects 
(fig. 2). The timber here was more 
than 200 years old. very dense and tall, 
with a high percentage of white pine; 
the soil was moist, deep, and fertile. 
This permitted a study of natural 
reproduction on a clean and complete 
1910 burn where no green trees sur¬ 
vived the fire. 
Another tract studied lies on a broad 
spur terminating at the junction of 
Trail Creek and Bear Creek (fig. 
3). The somewhat uniform ■ slopes, 
which rise from 3,100 feet to 3,600, are 
interrupted by several deeply cut 
draws. This affords local variations 
in aspect which show striking differ¬ 
ences in flora and natural reproduction. 
Here it was that the mature forest— 
including western white pine, western 
larch, and Douglas fir—was largely 
destroyed about 1870 and where the 
dense and vigorous young forest 
attained a 40-year growth and was 
completely burned in 1910. 
DOUBLE burn: 1910 AND 1919 
VARIOUS ASPECTS 
The first point of attack was the 
double 1910 and 1919 burn on Deep 
Creek. Here the elbow of the river 
has formed a round peninsula which 
tapers up to a central point at 4,100 
feet, elevation, as shown in the smaller 
western section of the inclosed area in 
Figure 1. This offered an excellent 
opportunity for studying reproduction 
on different aspects. 
Both the big fires of 1910 and 1919 
struck this point very hard, making a 
fairly clean sweep of all live, trees in 
