124 



which often represents all that can be used for airplanes of 

 15,000 board feet of standing timber. 



FORESTERS IN WAR WORK. 



The forest products laboratory of the Forest Service at Madi- 

 son, Wisconsin, has been of the greatest assistance to the War 

 Department in solving many of the problems which have arisen 

 from the increased use of wood, especially in connection with its 

 seasoning for aircraft material and much assistance has also been 

 given to hardwood distillation plants in order to increase the 

 production of acetone and other products needed for munition 

 making. 



A forest school classmate of mine, who is now Assistant Di- 

 rector of this laboratory, recently wrote me as follows : 



''The Laboratory seems to have the confidence of the War 

 Departm^ent and problem after problem having to do with wood 

 is being referred here. Our force has been increased 100 per 

 cent. Practically all work is war work. We are working at high 

 tension; some of the sections are working double shifts because 

 we can't turn out the work as fast as it is referred to us. While 

 the desire to get into one of the Forest Regiments w^as strong 

 within me, I am getting some mental compensation out of the 

 fact that I am engaged here wholly on work of a national defense 

 character." 



Of men, the Forest Service and the lumber industry have con- 

 tributed thousands who have been over in France now for some 

 time helping the Allies in cutting and getting out timber, lumber, 

 and other material for the use of the armies and in building rail- 

 roads, roads and bridges. 



Forester Graves was one of the first to go over to make ar- 

 rangements for this work and has recently been promoted to 

 the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He w^as soon followed by the 

 first regiment of woodsmen numbering about 1200 men and 

 designated as the Tenth Engineers (Forest). Over 300 qualified 

 foresters and lumbermen have been commissioned to serve as 

 officers for these forest battalions and of these two-thirds are 

 practical lumbermen or saw-mill opera.tors and one-third are 

 trained foresters with long woods experience. The second regi- 

 ment called the Twentieth is now being formed and will be the 

 biggest regiment in the world. 



II. Forestry In Hawaii. 



It is a far cry from the battle front to the mountains of Ha- 

 waii, but it is here that are found the forests, which conserve 

 the water, which irrigates the cane, which produces the sugar, 

 which goes to feed the armies over seas and the many people 

 contributing to their support. 



