FORESTER WHOSE FIELD IS THE CITY 



523 



the work must l^e carefully checked up. 

 The forester must, uioreover. strive to 

 train his men by practical illustrations, 

 lectures, pamphlets anrl field instruction. 



Over 25.000 rec|uests for attention 

 from individual citizens have been re- 

 ceived in Mr. Levison's office in the 

 last three years. These called for afl- 

 vice on all sorts of tree problems, and it 

 was the task of the forester to train 

 men to answer the less important (|ues- 

 tions and to look personally into the 

 others. The information given ranges 

 from identifying tree species, insects, 

 and diseases, to advising on treatment, 

 ]')lan.ting, and other operations. It is 

 furnished for use on h.ome grounds as 

 well as for public trees. Frequently ad- 

 vice is given even to non-residents, by 

 mail. 



A ma]) in the city forester's office 

 shows the location and condition of 

 every street tree. Other necessary rec- 

 ords include tree maps of the parks, 

 2,000 photographs, statistics of condi- 

 tions, a record of the treatment ap- 

 plied to every tree that has been brought 

 to the attention of the department, re- 

 ports, and similar details. 



PROMOTING PL'P.LIC INTEREST 



Lectures are given before organiza- 

 tions ; before the jx-ople, under the 



3 



auspices of the board of education ; be- 

 fore civic bodies in New York and 

 other cities ; before scientific bodies and 

 courses for teachers, and at local scien- 

 tific institutions. Over a hundred lec- 

 tures of this character have been given 

 in the last four years. 



Articles are prepared for gardening, 

 scientific, and popular magazines, for 

 riewspapers, museum journals, and 

 school publications. More than fort\- 

 such articles have been written, and 150 

 interviews have been given out. 



Other educational work includes 

 teaching both children and adults by 

 means of labels placed on the trees in 

 the parks ; through addresses, messages, 

 and celebrations on Arbor Day ; by the 

 publication of tree guides, and by the 

 formation of tree clubs. Special tree 

 labels were pre])ared and posted for the 

 Hudson-Fulton celebration last summer. 



The widespread educational efifects of 

 good work in caring for city trees will 

 extend, necessarily, beyond the city 

 limits and rouse an interest in economic 

 forestry, the aim of which is strictly 

 practical. For this reason the city for- 

 ester's task is more than the creation of 

 beauty. But it is through the beauty he 

 achieves that the charm of the forest 

 is made to lay a firmer hold on urban 

 life. His work is, tlierefore, of far- 

 reachiuQ- civic value. 



