OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORESTERS 89 



men to their forces, supplies of that sort do not by any means solve the 

 problem of forest administration. The Ranger force is quite as essential — 

 plain, simple men ready to do and to stay with the actual work in the woods. 

 Further, they would say, or some of them would, that the technical men so far 

 supplied have not by any means been the fittest possible instruments for the 

 work. Natural fibre and adaptability have full more to do with eflSciency than 

 training. Too much schooling may make men over-fond of theory, conceited 

 in its possession, needlesly hard to break into actual service, or even entirely 

 unfitted for the rough work in hand. The high ideals which the schools can 

 justly claim for most of their men, are desirable, only, to be effective, they 

 must be bound up in a physical and mental make-up which causes a man to 

 enjoy and last at this kind of work. 



Now young men brought up in towns and cities and going through eastern 

 universities may indeed develop into the best possible material for the work of 

 the National Forests, but it is by no means certain that they will. Plenty of 

 young westerners with very limited training who drift into the Service from 

 natural adaptability are proving of just as much use. The technical men, at 

 any rate, must stand the test of efficiency in actual service. 



CHARACTER OP THE WORK 



To review: The work of administration of the national forests is in the 

 main plain, rough work and backbone of the Service will always be made 

 up of men who in the good sense are essentially plain and simple minded, 

 satisfied to stay with their jobs and in the conditions which they involve. 

 Natural fitness and capacity are essential for these men and appropriate 

 training which will enable them to understand the things immediately about 

 them, but not necessarily of a very broad or elaborate type, will be a great 

 help. And for men who on this level show exceptional ability lines of pro- 

 motion must be forever kept free. For a considerable number of them of 

 thorough technical training there will always be room, for specialties and in 

 scientific positions to a limited extent, but more numerously in the administra- 

 tion force. Requirements here are changing somewhat and standards are 

 steadily rising. Experienced Service men believe that the training of the 

 majority should be more largely on engineering and business lines than it 

 has been in the past, with less emphasis perhaps on botanical studies. 



So much for this branch of the subject. 



With all that the forestry movement has accomplished for woodlands in 

 the country at large — valuation greatly increased, economy promoted, a 

 general attitude of thoughtfulness brought about — it is on the whole a dis- 

 appointing impression which has been made on the actual management of 

 privately owned lands. There are good reasons, on one side and on the other, 

 why progress should be slow here. On the side of the land owners fire risk and 

 the tax burden are hindering the adoption of conservative, foresighted man- 

 agement while that able young foresters have not engaged more largely in the 

 work is due to the wonderful opportunities that were open elsewhere. Men 

 who are in the swing of the development of the national forests, guiding 

 legislation in the states, or laying the foundations of American forestry science 

 could not be expected to turn aside to less attractive looking work. 



