The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-10-22
FIRES IN
FORESTS
How Cattle Affect
Life of the
Trees.


per of October 4, 1901 He states, IF
there had been no cattle in the forest,
the underground would have been so
thick and consequently there would
have been SO much dampness that no
fire could have started in the Hama
kua forest"
I am surprised that a writer who
attempts to tell to others what they
don't know, should not have acquaint-
ed himself with his subject before he
started in, which ] am quite sure he
did not do in this case. or he would
not have written what l have copied
above. Had he acquainted himself
with his subject he would have known
that all the fires that have ragged in
Hamakua the past two months were
started in the thick part of the forest,
and ii was the dense part of the for
est where the most damage has been
done.
1t was so dense In places that the sun
never reached the soil, and no stock
has ranged through it for years, il
ever OF course while the soil Is wet,
ferns and bushes green, and the forest
trees fiourishing; then, he says, truly,
the fires win not burn, and If kindled
can be easily extlnguished. Let us look
at the true situation as II existed last
April. The soil was wet: the forest
old chow old. no one knows, with live
and dead trees standing and large
dead trees lying upon the ground,
soaked with water. that had run out
their generations, and the ieie vines
clustering around the standing ones in
great masses. the forest very dense;
the ferns covering the ground and
standing six or more feet high, with
ether bushes and vines entangling the
mass. This is about the situation of
most of the burned district as it exist
ed last April, when he says fire
would not burn it,"
But on April %, 1901, there started in
n drought that is not yet October 10
ended, and during the period only LII
inches of water fell while a stiff dry
ing northeast wind blew all the time.
Now. look at the forest. The ferns are
all dead and dry, lying Hat upon the
ground, the live bushes wilted, many
Of the vines dead; every dead tree,
both standing and down, is dry clean
through. Dead limbs, twigs and all
fallen leaves dry as finder, and the
sell that had been accommodating humus
for hundreds of years from the drop
pings of the forest, and the vegeta-
tion growing out of 1t, all as dry as a
finder box for some distance below the
surface. Mr.. Rancher tells us that
dense forest like the one described
above. IF there had been no cattle in
it (Which this did not have) would not
burn. But Mr.. Homesteader did burn
and the same fire burned 200 acres of
cane and several thousand acres of
largely dense forest. so the fire has
done what Rancher said it could not
do. I,+vay.ss,
For proof Of what this fire has done,
/ refer the reader to Superintendent
Boyd, Mr.. Campbell Mr.. Godfrey and
Mr.. Haughs. who have seen these fires
and the burned districts OF what was
mostly a dense forest short time
ago This is perhaps enough to prove
that fire will burn dense forest
whether it has stock or no stock in it.
Rancher says: IF there had been
no cattle in the forest no fires
could have started in Hamakua." Let
us see. The Horners have IA stock
range between the east and west fires
that have been ravaging the forests,
cane and coffee fields the past few
months. Some fifteen years ago they
fenced 200 or more acres of a young
ohia forest for pasture, in which they
have kept stock ever since, and wild
cattle ranged through it before it was
fenced. No trees have been destroyed
BY the stock; the grove is tlourishing.
The stock have So completely protected
that young forest from fire that the
superintendent is quite sure there is
not more than fifty acres of the field
that would burn. even If set on fire
this dry time. The cattle tramped and
killed the ferns, bushes and weeds. and
spread grass over the whole field, and
that was eaten down so short that
there Is nothing to burn. and the plot
is "A valuable pasture, as We'll as a
thrifty forest. Question: If stock de-
stroy forests, why have they not de-
stroyed this?
If any doubt this statement, come
and see. 1 will not only show this field,
but thousands of acres outside, where
fhn 10 VtntNf, ~
Astounding in it all the time, and /
have good reason to believe had there
been no stock in 1t, thousands more
acres would have been burned over, as
then, 1t would have been dense jungle
for the fire to rage in, when man had
better keep out Of its way. +
A CONTRAST.
The owner of few thousand acres
of the dense forest described above,
was schooled in the belief that cattle
would destroy all forests If they were
allowed to range in it. so he would
not permit any stock i'm it; consequent
ly 1t grew to be a dense Jungle and
all went up in smoke the past few
months. lot of men have been kept
there all the time after the first few
days, endeavoring TO stop 1t, but thus
far have only prevented it from back
ing up against the wind and spreading j.,
sideways. but Ii went ahead before
the wind persistently some seven or ..
more miles.
/ venture the opinion that had stock
been permitted to use II as a feeding !
and watering paddock, n few men !
could have eXtinguished the fire at its l
FIRST appearance and saved that valua-
Bile forest. Here Is n valuable lesson
OF how to protect forests from fires. d
Don't harbor the thought from what
In above written that ! am an enemy
to the growing of forests, as I am not .
There Is much to be said and learned J.
about forests and fires but not here.
JOHN NJ. HORNER. {