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THE OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH IN FORESTRY 

By E. I. KOTOK, Assistant Chief, In Charge of Forest Research 

Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington 25, D. C. 

The subject originally assigned to me was "The Research Objectives of the 

Forest Service." I am, however, taking the liberty of expanding my comments 

beyond this restrictive title. The objectives of forestry research by the 

Forest Service, in the main, must be guided by the same criteria that influence objectives of forestry research by any other agency working in this 

field. 

Before we set out to state research objectives it may be more productive if 

we first examine the nature of the forest problems and the aims and scope of 

a research program designed to their solution. 

In our own United States, which was a forest wilderness less than 150 years 

ago, we are now confronted with an inadequacy of wood supply. Everywhere we 

still see apparent extensive areas of forests and woodland, but we still lack 

timber products of the desired quality, of the right species, and in accessible locations to meet our demands. 

Obviously, as we pass from our pioneer stage to an ever-expanding industrial 

economy, the demands for raw material from the forests will increase. These 

needs cannot be left to the vagaries of the unregulated forces that created 

our original, rich, virgin forests. 

Perhaps we can draw a parallel with farming. The pioneer farmer in the Corn 

Belt grew 200 bushels of corn per acre on virgin soil without fertilizer or 

fear of pests. Now he can grow as much only if he uses improved tools, heavy 

applications of fertilizer, and hybrid corn. To sustain production he must 

apply management based on a large body of research findings, 

This same concept of management comes into play as we move from the virgin 

timber era to the time when we must depend upon timber that we consciously 

grow. As we become dependent upon timber we consciously grow, we also begin 

to have certain freedoms of choice as to what we shall grow, where we shall 

grow it, and how we shall use it. These choices are functions of forest 

management. An intelligent program of research must be directed to give 

tho basis for making these choices. 

1Paper for presentation before Conference on State and Federal Forest 

Products Research Programs, Madison, Wis . , March 18-20, 1946. 

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A forest is tho creature of a great complex of natural influences, soil, 

climate, latitude, length of day, soil fauna and flora. These and other 

factors determine the species that will grow and how well they grow, the 

succession of species, and even the quality of the wood. Since the goal is 

to produce goods that will satisfy our needs, it becomes imperative that we 

understand these forces and how they operate in modifying the composition 

of the forest. Thus a comprehensive research program must involve attack by 

several branches of the biological sciences, ecology, soil chemistry, 

biology, parasitology, and entomology; a concerted attack aimed to unfold 

the basic laws that govern forest growth. Only by gaining an understanding 

of these laws can we be in a position to control the composition and growth 

of the forest and such control is a fundamental of forest management. 

I do not conceive that we shall, within a foreseeable time, complete this 

task for the level of research in forestry can never rise above the level 

of the fundamental sciences that contribute to it. For example, the discovery 

of plant hormones and an understanding of their role, has opened new possibilities that could not have been visible 20 years ago. Such new fundamental 

knowledge raises the level of all knowledge and broadens the opportunities 

of forest management. 

We expect that research be far out in advance of the need for its application. 

It is particularly true in forestry. Ideal silvicultural techniques must be 

flexible to meet ever-changing needs. But since the response of tree growth 

to a variety of silivicultural treatments is slow, management must plan far 

ahead of requirements. Research must be even ahead of that. 

Now, there is always a lag between what we know how to do and what we can do. 

Conceivably we can develop an ideal silviculture by research, but it is 

perfectly apparent that economic forces will control what can be done, 

whether the cut shall be heavy or light, whether we shall direct growth toward pulp species or lumber or plywood, whether we shall harvest now or hold 

for future markets, sacrificing growth for speculative profit. Matters of 

taxes, interest rates, freight rates, and general market conditions have the 

same sort of impact on forestry as on agriculture. Agriculture, however, 

can adjust itself more rapidly to changing economic conditions than can 

forestry. But trends in forest products requirements do modify forestry 

very greatly, For example, the expanding pulp industry in the South has 

made heavy inroads into the forest crop upon which the sawmill and turpentine 

industries depended in the past. 

In the Northwest it seems quite probable that it will pay in the future to 

prune Douglas-fir so as to grow a 16-foot length of clear wood as a butt log 

for plywood, Thus we have intensification of forest practice because of a 

new industry. 

There are examples of management choices that men are making now. I believe 

it is certain that such choices will increase greatly as the usefulness of 

wood expands and greater demands are placed on the productive capacity of 

forest land. The growing number of available options in management and the 

demand for wood will make possible intensive management. The present 

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critical shortage of wood is just another indication that the need for 

intensive management is already on us. 

With intensive management we shall need not only fundamental silvicultural 

knowledge; we shall need to know the costs and returns of the forestry 

business, whatever options in management are chosen. The cost of growing 

timber must be measured in terms of yield and land values. The growth races 

and yield of different combinations of species on different sites must be 

determined, and the influence of such things as stand density. We shall 

need to determine growth rates accurately in order to know when economic 

maturity has come. Unless we know these things we shall be in no position 

to manage forest industries profitably. 

Economic problem have corollary social aspects that are even more consequential. After all, the important product of the forest is a raw material 

from which can flow permanent jobs and stable communities. The stability of 

the flow of wood from the forest determines the stability of the forest community, the town, and the city. Stable silviculture and stable forest management, grounded upon determined facts and natural laws, can bring about 

stability in large segments of rural America. This is and must continue 

to be a primary and general objective of research in forestry. 

We are confronted with another dilemma in American forestry, as we mmove 

from either virgin or culled-over forests to intensively managed forests. 

This is where forest management and forest utilization must be handmaidens 

to bring about the end result. In the past we were satisfied to cut over 

forests for single special uses, and diversified utilization meagerly and 

haphazardly. If we want to raise the productivity of the forest we will 

generally find that we must take out the whole wood crop and turn it into 

useful products. This can be accomplished only through maximum diversification of utilization. 

Here we have a broad basis for research in forest products. Its aim is to 

develop new and improved uses for wood, how to utilize the less desirable 

species, and how the enormous waste in logging and milling can be converted 

to useful products. 

Since this conference will devote most of its attention to the forest products 

fields, I have taken the liberty of stressing forest management. But what 

finally can be done in forest management will hinge on the developments in 

the forest products research fields. 

To have productive forests we must harvest wood regularly, intelligently, and 

economically; in order to attain this, industry must use the harvest in the 

manufacture of a huge diversity of goods that can be marketed. This interplay of utilization and management, to my mind, is one of the most important 

aspects of forestry. It is the strongest argument for the closest possible 

integration of these two segments of forestry research. 

It would be a grave omission to leave out ancillary benefits from forests 

well managed and husbanded. They influence streamflow, they furnish a habitat 

for wildlife a place for America to enjoy a pioneer outdoors. A forestry 

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research program must deal with these factors as they may be influenced by 

forest management. 

Forestry in America is coming of age. Research workers have a challenge 

and an opportunity to recreate now and better forests new and better 

products from forests we hope for a world at peace. 

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