556 AMERICAN FORESTR'i 



classes for whom they are intended, and on that side it may be said that any 

 owner of woodland would find it well worth while, as a purely business 

 matter, to give the time necessary to attend such a course of instruction. If 

 he has not made himself acquainted with the principles of forestry he can 

 learn much that would have for him a direct money value. If his knowledge 

 has been gained only from reading, personal instruction in the forest land 

 will vitalize that knowledge and make it effective. 



It is to be hoped that the Vermont enterprise may be a success and that 

 other state forest services or colleges equipped for instruction in forestry may 

 adopt this excellent idea. 



EDUCATION IN FORESTY 



XT IS but a few years since the American who took a serious interest in 

 the science and art of forestry had to study it abroad and on his return 

 to his own country he would find general inability to appreciate, much 

 less to apply to American conditions, the knowledge he had gathered from 

 experienced European foresters. But during those years forestry in America 

 has taken amazing strides in popular appreciation and in practical scientific 

 application. The field of forestry operations in this country is wide and 

 constantly widening, and there has arisen a consequent demand for trained 

 men to cultivate it. A new profession has come into recognition and our 

 educational system has awakened to a new demand upon it. 



There are now on file in the oflBce of American Forestry the announce- 

 ments of more than twenty different colleges and universities giving complete 

 graduate or undergraduate courses leading to professional degrees in foi-estry, 

 and numerous others giving some instruction in the general principles of 

 forestry or in certain branches of it. In addition to this the principles of 

 forestry are taught in an elementary way in several secondary schools, and 

 one state has a school to fit rangers for its own forest work. 



This indicates a great advance in forestry education and an insistent 

 demand for it. The young man who desires to enter forestry work can find 

 ample opportunity to prepare himself. His choice of an institution will 

 depend upon the educational attainments which he can offer as a basis for 

 professional study, the nature and grade of the work he desires to take up, 

 and convenience of locality. 



It is not safe to assume equal quality for all institutions that offer similar 

 courses. Forestry education has not yet been satisfactorily standardized 

 and there is a strong temptation for institutions to go beyond their depth, in 

 order to meet a popular demand, and to offer a full program without suflScient 

 faculty or equipment. A letter recently received by the editor from the head 

 of the forestry department in a university of good standing stated frankly 

 that he did not put any stress upon the professional training given by his 

 department, because he did not regard it as strong enough to fit men for the 

 higher grades of professional work. For that they must go to schools with 

 larger faculties and fuller equipment. This may well apply to other institu- 

 tions and should be home in mind by the young man seeking a school in 

 which to study forestry. 



In order that the opportunities for such study may be better known, this 

 magazine began in August and continues this month the publication of a 

 series of articles describing the various schools and their work. We believe 

 that these articles will answer many questions that are asked with increasing 

 frequency. 



