The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-10-01
COURSE IN FORESTRY
ARRANGED
GOVERNMENT AND STATE UNITE
IN PREPARING INTEREST
ING EXPERIMENT.


special requirements Of the work of
the forest service demands Well
trained men who combine practical
experience and rough and ready
workmanship with sufficient technical
training tn handle the more special
lied lines Of, work in the administra-
tion Of a national forest. The duties
of a forest ranger are many and eX-
tremely varied He must not only he
practical NoodSman, able to lay out
and build q good trail, to fight fires
effectively. making use al every nat
ural vantage point, and to direct the
grazing Of stock on the range lands
where included i'm the forests. but
must also be able to direct the cutting
of national forest timber. marking the
mature trees which can safely be re-
moved and scaling the logs cut from
them. To survey the boundaries of the
forest or the lines of patented claims.
and to act intellgently in classifying
lands in reference tn their agricul-
tural or timber producing value. While
his work is mainly in the open. his
duties necessarily include the prepare
ton of reports timber sales.
claims and many other classes Of
business which must be transacted
daily i'm the administration OF his
district
One of tho strongest features of the
forest service has been that its rang
ars have been drawn almost wholly
from western men. settlers In the To-
calities In which the forests are sit
natcd and familiar from years OF ex-
perience with practical work in the
mountains. In order to fit these men
for their special duties as adminis-
trativc officers in dealing with the
public and in conducting the more
technical work on the forests
the need for short courses of
instruction has long been felt by the
forest service. 1t has now become
possible tn meet this need through the
cooperation of the state universities
and other schools located in the ma
tional forest states
In district No. Of the forest serv-
ice. definite plans have been approved
for n rangers course during the com
ing winter at the University of Mon
tana. Missoula. the headquarters for
the forest service in this district. The
course will be given during the
months Of January February and
March when weather conditions make
much of the ordinary field work i'm
possible and when. in consequence, the
rangers can be spared from their dis
tricts with the least interruption i'm
their regular work. One or two men
from each forest in the district viii
be detailed to Aissouia during these
months, making up class Of 40 or 30
men or about one-eighth of the total
permanent ranger force of the dis
trict. The men to attend this course
will be selected by the forest super
visars as "a recognition of good work
and capacity for greater responsible
ity.
Since the University of Montana
makes no distinction between residents
of the state and non-rcsidents. the
ranger school will be open 10 men of
the national forests in northern Idaho
and in tho western Dukotas and
northern Minnesota on the same basis
as rangers from Montana. The ma
circulation fee of the university for
this short course has been reduced tn
81, the total fees for all purposes for
the course. which viii be met by the
men personally. being sil.
The instruction will ho given i'm part
by members Of the university faculty
and in part by officers in the forest
service detailed To this district. The
following courses are inclued:
IA course in tree botany which
will cover the Identification OF the
more important commercial species
and sufficient laboratory work To gain
an understanding of the fundamental
processes of growth and wood pro-
ductior.
"A course In forestry which vii
g.R L..
as to secure the best results In the
production Of timber. methods of
marking different types of forest for
cutting and the most essential things
relating Ia tree planting, seeding and +
other methods of artificial farestatinn. A
Special emphasis throughout this
course will ba given to the methods
used in sales of national forest tim
Der and the prescribed forms for sub
uniting estimates and reports.
"A course on surveying. mapping
and drafting which will consist pri-
marily III practical work with the
simpler instruments i'm the field and
drafting and the preparation. of maps
from the data gathered in the field
work.
A course on numbering which will
include thorough discussion of the
methods used i'm this portion of the
northwest. With field trips Ia the
larger timber operations ia the vicinity
nf MisSouia-
Courses will also be given on Geol-
nGy, timber scaling and estimating
and grazing with reference particular
~ Ia conditions on the national for
est stock ranges
While this course has been adapted
primarily To meet the needs of ma
tional forest rangers. il will cover as i
far as possible within three months, /
the subjects most needed by anyone
desiring To learn something about for
estry as il is being applied in the
west. The course will be open To
anyone desiring 10 take il and il is
probable that Il number Of the uni
versity students will be included in
its classes II is the hope of both the
university and the forest service that
others interested in this subject es-