[from the text] Illustrated in the photograph below is a ground line cross-section from a basal fire-scarred red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) collected in July, 1978 near Pointe aux Pins in Parke Township, 15 km west of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The catface (an open scar resulting from one or more fires) on the main tree bole, noted in the insert, shows the various scar folds associated with each fire date. This tree dates from about 1731. The year 1727 is known to have been a major fire year in the Great Lakes region and is probably responsible for the tree's origin. Five successive fires occurred in 1759, 1791, 1805, 1831, and 1877. This represents a recorded fire frequency or average interval between fires of 29 years with a range of 14 to 46 years for the period 1727 to 1877. No known fire has swept the immediate area in over a hundred years, although in 1936 suppression efforts just prevented a recurrence.