1192 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXX, No 12 
It was, however, definitely shown on 
the northwest slope that a great many 
more seedlings of the older age classes 
existed on the minor northerly ex¬ 
posures, such as occur near draws, 
than on the general west or southwest 
aspects, and that on such northerly 
aspects much of the typical forest flora 
which is seen under the virgin forest 
has survived. This indicates clearly 
that there was abatement of the in¬ 
tensity of the burn, with less damage to 
soil and site conditions on the protected 
than on the exposed aspect, an im¬ 
portant factor in restocking from seed 
in the duff. 
An upper northwest and west aspect 
in the 1910 burn at an elevation of 
over 4,000 feet, and above the three 
lower strips, was also examined. Be¬ 
fore 1910 this had been mainly a 
Douglas fir type, such as is often found 
on steep upper aspects in Idaho and 
western Montana. All of the trees 
had been killed outright in 1910. 
From both the count strips and general 
observation, it was concluded that this 
area neither has been nor is now re¬ 
stocking. Only a few lodgepole pine 
seedlings were found. The reasons 
could be sought in absence of seed, as 
well as in exposed site with extreme 
drought and heat in summer, or in 
heavy sod competition. It seems 
reasonable to suppose that all of these 
factors are here strong hindrances 
to natural restocking. 
DOUBLE BURN OF 1870 AND 1910 
About 1 mile west from Magee 
Ranger Station is the area already 
mentioned that was burned hard about 
1870 and again in 1910. This is a 
point of land between Trail .Creek on 
the south and Bear Creek on the east, 
rising from 3,000 to 3,500 feet and more 
in elevation, broken to the south by 
several sharp draws, and many steep, 
bare, or grassy south slopes. (See fig. 
3.) Previous to 1870 there was a dense 
overmature stand of the usual mixture 
of white pine, white fir, western larch, 
Douglas fir, etc., the Douglas fir being 
most prominent on the southerly as¬ 
pect, the larch and lodgepole pine on 
the tops and white pine, white fir, and 
hemlock on protected aspects. On this 
area count strips were located accord¬ 
ing to aspects as shown by the dotted 
lines in Figure 3. The map shows the 
approximate location of green trees as 
well as the position and direction of the 
count strips. 
After the first fire natural reproduc¬ 
tion was generally good, even on the 
south and west aspects, and the result¬ 
ing young stand, which was killed in 
1910, contained much white pine. 
As a result of the 1910 burn, this area 
presents three major and distinct field 
conditions induced by differences in 
topography, with the character and age 
of the forest approximately uniform for 
all three. Discussion of reproduction 
can well be divided accordingly into 
northerly aspects, southerly aspects, 
and tops and benches. On account of 
the lateness of the season, the reproduc¬ 
tion studies on the higher points were 
not completed. 
NORTH AND EAST ASPECTS 
Tables IX and X under strip A pre¬ 
sent data from a strip run in a north¬ 
east direction from the top of the spur 
(point a fig. 3) down into the draw, a 
distance of 5 chains. The purpose was 
to find out what reproduction had taken 
place where no seed trees had been 
either before or after the 1910 burn. 
Previous to 1910 a dense and thrifty 
young stand of white pine, western 
larch, Douglas fir, and white fir had 
come up here. Practically all of these 
were down in 1923. 
Table X shows a total of 280 seed¬ 
lings per acre, of which 50 per cent are 
white pine. There are practically no 
seedlings younger than 7 years. The 
distributions of the seedlings do not 
show any relation or order which would 
indicate the source of the seed or the 
migration. There are no live trees im¬ 
mediately to the south and west and 
no indications of seed dispersion. 
A second and even more representa¬ 
tive north aspect of this double burn is 
that covered by strips b and c, Figure 3, 
a steep slope where all trees but a few 
big larches were killed in 1870. These 
survivors and the young, thrifty 40- 
year stand surrounding them were all 
killed in 1910. Reproduction counts 
are given under strip b and strip c in 
Tables IX and X. 
Observations at strip 6 show a total 
of 1,313 seedlings per acre, with 23 per 
cent white pine; and at strip c 535 
seedlings per acre, of which 33 per cent 
are white pine. Seeding both of white 
pine and the other species appears from 
the distribution by age classes to have 
been in progress ever since the 1910 
fire, and it is now impossible to know 
which of these sprang from seed in the 
duff and which did not. At any rate, 
the restocking and the condition of 
the soil and site after two bad fires are 
very gratifying. 
