Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-12
Forestry Now Vies With
Medicine and Engineering

As profession forestry is making
~ such rapid strides that it promises
= > soon to take a place with the older
professions, such as law, medicine ana
engineering.
So great is the desire to guard the ma
tion's forests and to plan for WOOD
supply for the future that federal. state
and private influences all over the coun-
try are being exerted to create students
with a knowledge Of the subject.
Colleges for the study of forestry are
springing up everywhere. Older inst'tu-
tons are adding forestry to their courses
of study. 1t is now possible in almost
any state in the Union to take four
year course, and get degree or bach
elor of science. Which will permit for
ester to practice his profession anywhere.
1t is an admitted fact that the newly
graduated doctor, lawyer or engineer
must struggle, for long time TIL ne
can get business enough TO make MS call
ing pay. But the forester faces a diner,
emf condition The demand for trained
foresters of the student graduate type
is now far beyond the supply. 1t Is the
expert knowledge that Is wanted. Al
most every phase Of the nations life Is
dependent on the aid the forester can
give in scientific investigation and the
administration of the national forests.
which now amount to more fhan l9o,uoo,-
900 acres.
the nation will have the expenditure Of
four million dollars.
But this sum only represents part
Of the money that is being invested In
preservation of the country's forests.
Private individuals have been aroused to
the impor lance of the subject. the big
railroads and other corporations that hold
a large amount of timber land have been
stirred to action, and the experts VINO
come from the colleges are grabbed for
lucrative places just as soon as they APP
pear.
The remarkable part of the present con-
dition Is the fact that this Is late de-
velopment.
only a few years ago the United States
deserved the title of being the most ex-
trayagant nation in the world. The nat
urdl resources were permitted to be squan-
dered in a criminal way. The mounting
price of lumber first called the attention
OF the far-sighted to the condition that
approached unless preventive action were
taken.
What the price of lumber means Is
shown by a story that comes from M1chi-
gan, a sta once covered by superb tim
Der. and which still has share, but
where unscientific cutting has put the
supply In serious jeopardy.
Lumber was formerly SO plentiful that
when the lumberman went over tract
he cut down only the best.
If he happened to fell a tree that lack
ed the fine quality it was either allowed
to lie and rot. or IL 1t happened to be In
the way Of space needed for another
cutting he would hack the trunk into
three or four great pieces. and these
would be thrown into some OF the ponds
that abound in these woods.
But when the price Of lumber began to
mount some one remembered these logs
in the ponds.
And actually a big price was paid the
owner Of the lands for the privilege OF
going over the tracts and doing nothing
but recovering these logs.
This shows admirably what the value
Of timber is now. and why the whole ma
ton is jumping In the movement not only
to protect what timber remains. but to
start the growth Of more In sections that
have been denuded.
The system pursued In the various for
estry schools is much the same, whether
1t be at Yale or Michigan, prominent coll
leges, which have important forestry
branches or at the schools conducted by
state or government.
There is no particular section from
which forester. must come. While it is
undeniably an advantage to take students
from the mountainous or rural districts
where they have known the woods, the
lack of the preliminary knowledge is by
no means fatal handicap. Many of the
most skilled fores.ers who have been de-
veloped In the last ten years have been
boys who came from the city. and knew
nothing about the forests until called
upon to study the subject.
1t is of course fact that a good COM
mon school education is necessary. for
the student will be called upon to deal
with subjects calling for good founda-
ton.
During the first year the student is in
structed in nursery work. improvement
work, road making and forest work OF an
elementary kind.
Then they 60 into the more advanced
staues of the science. Particularly are
they called upon to examine into the
question of commercial trees, for above
everything else their training must be
practical, since when they take positions
at wages it will be their duty to produce
money For their employers, particularly
If they should connect with private con-
Germs.
The rate of growth and. the special val
ues OF the various types in forestry are