Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-10-13
THE FOREST RANGERS
Special Civil Service Examination
October 24-25

The Civil Service Commission will
hold an examination for assistant for
est ranger on October 24-25, 1910.
The u. S. Department of Agriculture
estimates that 400 eligibles will be
needed during the field season of 1911.
Assistant forest rangers are paid an
entrance salary of SLIGO per annum.
The examination will be held at
National Forest headquarters in Alas
ka, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New
Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Da-
kota, Washington and Wyoming. No
examinations will be held in Arkansas,
Oklahoma and Utah, except at Kanab,
Utah, the headquarters of the Kaibab
National Forest Since all of the
kaibab forest is in Arizona, residents
of Arizona will, under the law, have
preference in appointments for this
forest.
Forest rangers must be, when prac
ticable, citizens of the state or terri
tory in which the national forest on
which they are to be appointed is sit
uated. In the states in which no ex-
aminations are to be held there is still
a sufficient list of eligibles to make
the holding of another examination
unnecessary.
The requirements and duties of for
est rangers are thus described in The
Use Book" which contains the regu-
ations and instructions for the use Of
the national forests:
"a ranger of any grade must be
thoroughly sound and able-bodied,
capable OF enduring hardships and per-
forming severe labor under trying
conditions. He must be able to take
care of himself and his horses in re-
gionS remote from settlement and
supplies. He must be able TO build
trails and cabins, ride, pack, and deal
tactfully with all classes of people He
must know something of land survey
ing, estimating and scaling timber,
logging, land laws, mining, and the
livestock business.
"On some forests the ranger must
be 4 specialist in one or more of these
lines of work. Thorough familiarity
with the region in which he seeks en-
ployment, including its geography and
its forest and industrial conditions, is
usually demanded, although lack of
this may be supplied by experience in
similar regions.
The examination OF applicants is
along the practical lines indicated
above, and actual demonstration, by
performance, is required. Invalids
seeking light out-of door employment
need not apply. Experience, not book
education, is sought, although ability
to make simple maps and write intelli-
gent reports upon ordinary forest
business is essential.
For duty in some parts OF Arizona
and New Mexico the ranger must
know enough Spanish TO conduct for
est business with Mexicans
"Where saddle horses or pack
horses are necessary in the perform
ance of their duty, rangers are re
quired TO own and maintain them. The
forest service furnishes no personal or
horse equipment.
Rangers execute the work OF the
national forests under the direction of
supervisors. Their duties include
patrol to prevent fire and trespass,
estimating, surveying, and marking
timber, the supervision OF cuttings,
and similar work. They issue minor
permits, build cabins and trails, over
see grazing business, investigate
claims, report on applications, and re
port upon and arrest for violation OF
forest laws and regulations"
The examination will consist of
questions regarding the use OF the for
est, supplemented by a field test to.
show the applicants fitness to do the
actual work of ranger. Education
and experience will be rated on the
answers to the questions on these sub
jects in the application form and on
the applicants use of English in the
written test Horses for the tests in
riding and packing will be provided
by the forest service.
Details regarding the examination,
including the names of the places at
which it will be held, will be sent to
anyone applying to the United States
Civil Service Commission, Washing
ton, d. c.