THE PLACE OF A FOREST SUPERVISOR 

 IN THE COMMUNITY 



By Paul G. Redington 

 Forest Supervisor Sierra National Forest, California 



IN the United States there are 150 

 Supervisors in direct charge of the 

 work on the various National For- 

 sets. These men have administrative 

 jurisdiction over approximately 160,- 

 000,000 acres of public property. They 

 are in responsible positions and are 

 chosen because of their fitness to handle 

 successfully the work on their Forests, 

 and their ability to deal fairly with the 

 thousands of people who use the Forests. 



Of these 150 Supervisors, 117 (by a 

 very conservative estimate) are located 

 in towns or small cities where they 

 should be known to the large majority 

 of the members of the communities. 

 Laying aside a consideration of their 

 official relations with certain individuals 

 in each community, their potential 

 influence by active participation in 

 movements looking towards "commun- 

 ity up-building" is very large. 



It is my conviction that every Super- 

 visor has a splendid chance to make his 

 place as an individual just as prominent 

 in his community as his official position 

 is prominent among other occupations 

 of the locality. 



The personality of every man in this 

 position, his ability to mix with his 

 fellows, and to take the leadership in 

 community development work, of course 

 will have a great deal to do in fixing his 

 place in his home town. Assuming, 

 however, that the average man is well 

 qualified in these particulars, what 

 ought he to do to make his community 

 the better for his being a member of it ? 



Education is at the bottom of com- 

 munity progress, just as much as it is 

 the foundation stone of all progressive 

 development. A Supervisor should not 

 hesitate to take an interest in all educa- 

 tional questions, particularly those hav- 

 ing to do with the betterment of the 

 grammar and high schools in his com- 

 mimity. He should, when asked to do 

 so by the voters, accept a position on 



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the local school board. He should at- 

 tend public school exercises and be 

 willing to give talks to students, when- 

 ever invited to do so. Incidentally, 

 by getting into the school activities in 

 any of these ways he is helping out his 

 profession. 



A Supervisor should be willing to go 

 before the county officials to aid school 

 work and development, if he thinks his 

 influence can assist. Western counties 

 are going farther each year in the placing 

 of branch libraries in the mountain 

 towns and settlements, and a Super- 

 visor can find in this an additional 

 channel through which to direct his 

 unofficial activities. 



A Supervisor should not fail to take a 

 positive stand which will align him on 

 the right side of all things which have to 

 do with raising the moral tone of the 

 community and he should not be back- 

 ward about expressing an opinion if he 

 thinks good can be accomplished. 

 Without going into the pros and cons of 

 the liquor question, it is my belief that 

 every Supervisor who lives in a small 

 isolated place where adequate regulation 

 of saloons is not possible, should actively 

 advocate their absolute abolishment in 

 order to keep out lawlessness and in m 

 this way help in giving boys and young " 

 men the right start in life. 



The benefit of church influence in 

 any community is beyond question. 

 Whether a Supervisor is a religious 

 man or not, I think he ought to appre- 

 ciate the benefit accruing from the loca- 

 tion of a church in his home town, and 

 if one is lacking, he should, on general 

 principles, give his aid, financial and 

 otherwise, towards its establishment. 



Oftentimes, due to the comparatively 

 small number of residents in a town 

 where a Supervisor is located, and to 

 the consequent uncertain practice, there 

 is no physician. A competent medical 

 practitioner is one of the most needed 



