TING INSTRUCTION IN METHODS OF WORK
FROM A DISTRICT FOREST OFFICER]

While the work of the Washington office is mainly that of guiding the
work of the National Forests along broad general lines, through
instructions to the District Foresters, the office of each District
Forester deals directly with the Forest Supervisors, and so with the
handling of the National Forests. A multitude of questions which the
Supervisors can not answer are decided in the District office instead,
as was formerly the case, of being forwarded to Washington for disposal
there, with the consequent aggravating and needless delay. The
establishment of the District offices has made the handling of the
National Forests far less complicated and far more prompt, and has
brought it far closer than ever before to the actual users,--that is,
has made it far more quickly and accurately responsive to their needs.

PRIVATE FORESTRY

As yet, the practice of forestry by private owners, except for fire
protection, has made but little progress in the United States, although
without doubt it will be widely extended during the next ten or fifteen
years. The concentration of timberland ownership in the United States
has put a few men in control of vast areas of forest. Many of them are
anxious to prevent forest destruction, so far as that may be practicable
without interfering with their profits, and for that purpose Foresters
are beginning to be employed. Until now the principal tasks of Foresters
employed by lumbermen have been the measurement of the amount of lumber
in the standing crop of trees, and the protection of forest lands from
fire. Here and there the practice of a certain amount of forestry has
been added, but this part of the work of the private Forester employed
by lumbermen has not been important. It is likely, however, to increase
with some rapidity before long. In the meantime, the private Forester
must usually be willing to accept a good many limitations on the
technical side of his work.

It is essential for the Forester thus employed to have or promptly to
acquire a knowledge of practical lumbering, that is, of logging,
milling, and markets, and for the forest student who expects to enter
this work to give special attention to these subjects.

Already about 170 graduates of forest schools are in private employ, a
considerable proportion of which number are employed by large lumbermen.

The time is undoubtedly coming, and I hope i