. American forestry. Forests and forestry. MANAGEMENT OF CUT-OVER LANDS 703 Wisconsin, where hundreds of thous- ands of stubs that would to-day have been worth $20 a thousand if standing, are all that is left of vegetation or of soil which once was fertile land and should to-day have a second crop ready for harvest, and that crop worth ten times the price received for the first. The old argument of the western logger is "burn when safe for it will burn anyway and perhaps burn ; This, if applied to your house, would read, burn your house when it rains so it won't burn your neighbo
. American forestry. Forests and forestry. MANAGEMENT OF CUT-OVER LANDS 703 Wisconsin, where hundreds of thous- ands of stubs that would to-day have been worth $20 a thousand if standing, are all that is left of vegetation or of soil which once was fertile land and should to-day have a second crop ready for harvest, and that crop worth ten times the price received for the first. The old argument of the western logger is "burn when safe for it will burn anyway and perhaps burn ; This, if applied to your house, would read, burn your house when it rains so it won't burn your neighbor, but burn it for it will burn anyway and perhaps you. But the logger's argument is not as good as the parallel, for the one burning of the chopping only prepares all for the second burning, which is more likely to occur than the first, and far more fierce. Your home once burned is removed from further danger of fire. To repeat, that which the first fire takes would all have been nutriment for the new timber crop in a year; that, and the young trees that were waiting for the sun; that, and the trees left standing ready to push ahead for early cutting; that, and the brush which would have in another year replaced its broken parts and held a sunshade over all; that, and the vines and ferns that would have helped keep all moist; that, and preparation for fires to burn the soil and all seed and bake the ground into a condition of utter impotence from which it can not recover in a genera- tion. These things are all that the first fire does, nor does the second fire clear any land. I have known seven fires to 3 run over the same ground and to-day there is no living thing there except a growth of fire weed, ready to carry fire to the material still left, which is ample for more fierce flames. Of all these forest fires the first is easiest to prevent. Brush, moss and the shade of the fallen tree tops keep the ground still moist. The dead soil and sun are ready to grow a shelter while
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectforestsandforestry
