[Annotation copied from Lynham et al. 2002(https://www.frames.gov/rcs/18000/18093.html)] The new forest on an extensive area of burn may vary from the preceding stand. As noted by Millar (1936) the serotinous cones of black spruce resist fire damage and shed large quantities of seed after the fire. Balsam retains no seed on the tree except for a limited period in the fall, and following fire there is no supply available. Most fires, if severe enough to kill the trees, will also destroy any seed in the duff. Balsam, therefore, is eliminated from the stand. From the foregoing it might be judged that fire can be used to control the proportions of fir. On low ground it is doubtful if control of balsam is necessary. On high ground the stand is generally a mixture of hardwoods, white and black spruce and balsam. Of these, white spruce and balsam regenerate very poorly after fire and the hardwoods sprout prolifically. Consequently, unless there is a high proportion of black spruce in the old stand, the new stand will consist of no balsam, very little white spruce, some black spruce and much poplar. With insufficient black spruce, fire may change a mixed stand into a hardwood type. Repeated burnings, or a single burn in a stand that has not reached seed-bearing age, destroy both the present stand and the possible sources of seed. This tends to produce hardwood types or complete waste areas of shrubbery and grass.