1196 
■Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXX, No. 12 
vegetation on different burns. From 
the 1923 study it appears that the vege¬ 
tation which has followed the single 
and double fires on the Deep Creek and 
Trail Creek areas is but a scanty 
growth and as such is a benefit rather 
than a detriment to natural restocking. 
On severe double burns a definite cycle 
of succession is evident. It begins 
with light-seeded willow, everlasting 
fire weed, goldenrod, and thistle. This 
series runs its course during the first', 
decade and is then crowded out by 
snow brush, goat brush, maple, june- 
berry, huckleberry, ocean spray, nine- 
bark, thimbleberry, snowberry, elder¬ 
berry, and cherry. Some of these seed 
in directly after the burn, others spring 
from sprouts, and still others are 
seeded in later by birds. 
On moist sites much of the original 
forest vegetation—which includes Cop- 
tis, Tiarella, Pvrola, Claytonia, Linnaea, 
and various ferns and herbaceous 
plants—takes direct possession of the 
ground. Evidently the fire in such 
cases has not burned deeply enough to 
kill the roots or the seeds. This type 
of vegetation is always more in evi¬ 
dence on single than on double burns. 
The above conditions hold generally 
for north slopes, high benches, and 
gentle south and west aspects. On 
•steep south and west slopes, however, 
•the succession is quite different. The 
lower portions, which become very dry 
and warm, show a strong tendency 
toward formation of sod. While this 
retards erosion, it is thought to deter 
natural reproduction. Such sites are 
very dry in midsummer, and the many 
herbs and shrubs which occur elsewhere 
and which would be very beneficial as 
soil builders, checks to erosion, and in 
furnishing shelter to seedlings, are 
wanting. The upper south slopes and 
knolls become, by repeated fires, al¬ 
most a pure snow brush type. This 
snow brush is sometimes present before 
the fire, and sprouts profusely after¬ 
wards. It frequently seeds in directly 
after or during the fire. When the 
second burn occurs the brush takes 
almost complete possession by rapid 
sprouting, as its stout and deep roots 
have escaped injury. This brush cover 
later yields its place to the forest, but 
in the early life of the stand it nurses 
and protects the scattered young 
seedlings. 
From the standpoint of grazing, 
these burns must be a distinct disap¬ 
pointment. The vegetation is of poor 
quality and rather sparse. The sheep 
would have to travel too much to find 
sufficient forage. In this respect both 
the single and the double burns of 1910 
and 1919 on the Coeur d’Alene National 
Forest fall far below the Clearwater 
National Forest. On the latter, many 
of the double burns are followed by a 
wealth of high and dense vegetation 
which often hinders natural restocking. 
The profuse and palatable wild pea and 
the hollyhock, so abundant on the 
Clearwater Forest, are much less 
evident on the Coeur d’Alene. 
Species of Ribes, which would act as 
carriers jn the event of an invasion of 
the blister rust disease, occur over the 
Coeur d’Alene burns, but these are 
chiefly confined to the watercourses 
and are generally few and far between 
on the slopes. 
summary and conclusions 
Through analysis of the natural 
restocking on singly and doubly burned 
areas on the headwaters of the Coeur 
d’Alene River in northern Idaho, cer¬ 
tain conclusions seem to be warranted. 
In every instance where a single fire 
destroyed a mature forest, as in the 
fires of 1870, 1889, and 1910, the 
natural restocking of the forest has 
been prompt, uniform, and complete, 
and western white pine has made up a 
goodly proportion of the reproduction. 
In the case of double burns, however, 
as instanced by that of 1910 and 1919, 
restocking is woefully deficient. 
The time interval between a first 
and a second fire greatly influences 
results, for if fire covers the area a 
second time before any of the young 
growth has produced seed, the chances 
of natural reproduction are much re¬ 
duced. An area burned in 1870 and 
again in 1910 showed very good re¬ 
stocking, except on lower south and 
west aspects. The young forest, which 
was 35 to 40 years old when destroyed 
in 1910, had produced seed which 
evidently helped to restock the area 
after the 1910 fire. The failure of 
reproduction on the exposed aspects 
must be considered as directly due to 
the action of the two fires in reducing 
the quality of the site, and in causing 
extreme and critical conditions for 
natural reestablishment. 
Such double burns, occurring at 
intervals up to seeding age of the young 
trees, are followed by heavy grass sod 
on lower south slopes and dense mats 
of snow brush on the upper south and 
west. The grass is considered a 
hindrance, and the snow brush a help, 
in natural restocking. Large areas 
which burned in 1889 and again in 1910 
contain scattered seedlings which are 
nursed along on a very critical site by 
the prevalent brush. 
