From the text...'Few travellers have written as vividly about Ozark fires as Featherstonhaugh (1844), who measured the progess of a fire at a camp eight miles from the Current River. He mentions that hunters used fire to drive game, and that in consequence of camp fires being left burning, 'many thousands of acres were burnt over.' In approaching Little Rock he expressed concern lest he be caught crossing a valley in which a fire was raging. Certainly, these fires have been common in the whole region from the earliest times. Swallow (1859), in his report following a railroad survey, describes central and southwestern Missouri as 'in large part sparsely timbered, forming the beautiful oak-openings. This stunted growth is not, however, due to the poverty of the soil, but to the fires which have annually overrun this country since the earliest dates of the Indian tradition.' Annual burning would have given the grasses and herbaceous plants every advantage by destroying the woody plants as well as the seedlings. Featherstonhhaugh expressed the opinion 'of Mr. Jefferson and others that all prairies have been produced by the Indian practice of firing annually, and thus destroying the grown timber as well as inferior plants.' Fires are probably an extremely important factor in the maintenance of the openness of the country, and may have aided indirectly in the production of tremendous quantities of seeds and fruits. Later, as the country became populated and the settler had much more to lose, the practice of burning annually was frowned on. A fire advancing on a homestead, as described by Featherstonhaugh, could destroy the cabin, whatever stock of grain the settler had, and, by destroying his fences, leave the fields open to the roving game and cattle. Even today the burning of woods is carried on only in those 'backwood' areas where a kind of subsistence farming exists.... Forestry in the Ozards can look forward to a multiplicity of problems until adequate time for trial-and-error selection points the way to dependable practices. The successful forestry project will be one which recognizes the fluid conditions prevailing, and is geared to profit by each and every advantage--no matter how unorthodox. Laws have been enacted which make the firing of timber a criminal action. Fire, perhaps more than any other factor, maintained the prairie and park-like aspect of the Ozarks. But to be effective, the fire season must be long and dry. An increase in precipitation would lessen the effectiveness of fire, and the advancing tree line would suffer fewer disastrous burns. With the advent of white settlements, more and more portions of the area were protected from fire and these in turn furnished a haven for the advancing woodland. During every step of the invasion an increase in precipitation served to reduce the incidence and the damage which fire might cause. The native backwoodsman (derisvely called 'ridge runners,' 'brush apes,' etc.), who sets the woods ablaze, is a direct descendant of the first white settler. Without holding a brief for the woods-burner, we may well ask some questions. Is it wise to attempt commercial forestry in an area that averages less than 800 bd. ft. per acre, and when only 10 per cent of the forest supports 2,000 bd. ft. per acre--especially when at least one-third of this forest is in cull trees and trees of non-commercial species? Perhaps a large part of the Ozarks should remain in grass.... An ecological study has shown clearly that the Ozark flora is immature, with the observed associations changing quite rapidly. In addition, the historical accounts of the vegetational character of the area bear out the contention that this is a young and vigorous flora not easily classified. Perhaps many species have disappeared, but one, the Red Cedar, has become more conspicuous by its aggressive pioneering in old fields. The encroaching forest sounded the death knell of the big game and the game birds. Regardless of hunting pressure, the habitat had deteriorated so rapidly that the herds of game and flocks of birds were doomed. Gun pressure admittedly has increased from the day of the first white settlement. The hunter appeared on the scene and added just the necessary weight to force the game from a habitat which was rapidly becoming untenable. Game management, whether aimed at the increase of deer or the improvement of turkey or quail range, will always be confronted with the present instability of the Ozark weather as expressed by its effect on the vegetational cover. The 'Aux Arcs' Mountains, once the habitat of buffalo, elk, and bear, cannot now support turkey under complete protection. A completely stocked forest of pole timber, which makes up 85 per cent of the forest area, is not a habitat for big game or game birds. From a mechanical standpoint, it isn't suitable even for buck deer; a buck with a trophy head will range in the pole timber only under fear and compulsion.'