JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



Vol.. XVIII FEBRUARY, 1920 No. 2 



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The Society is not responsible, as a body, for the facts and opinions advanced 

 in the papers published by it. 



THE YEAR'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS ' 



LMWAwr 



By Frederick E. Olmsted WBW voitiC 



Retiring President of the Society. ■•TanfcaL 



QAHUU\\ 



Looking back on the accomplishments of the Society during the past 

 year, I should say that we had begun to wake ourselves up. Our 

 interest in forest issues of importance to the profession and to the 

 country is alive. This is a healthy symptom, because heretofore we 

 have been somewhat too much absorbed in our own internal affairs. 

 Such a body of men should make itself of direct value to the nation 

 in the discussion and solution of all those complex problems relating 

 to the perpetuation and use of forest resources ; and if foresters as a 

 group can make their voices audible there are surely immense possibili- 

 ties for influence. 



Considering the broad training and experience and the many-sided 

 work of the American forester there is ground to question whether he 

 has made his influence count in the past as it should have counted for 

 the advancement of his profession and the application of his knowledge. 

 Individually, he has been felt ; but considering the profession as a 

 whole, foresters have la"cked that vital influence for progress which 

 comes from united effort, from the group spirit. The majoritv of 

 foresters are in Government service and for this reason, perhaps, have 

 been somewhat restricted in their vision of nation-wide problems out- 

 side of their own work and in the expression of their views. This is 

 inevitable, for the demands of Federal and State forest service have 

 been and still are predominant. Let me urge, nevertheless, that forest- 

 ers in Government service endeavor to think and act on forest problems 

 of the moment from viewpoints apart from their official surroundings; 

 and that they express their views, so far as may be proper, as foresters 



1 Report made to the Society of American Foresters at its aiiiuial meotinti in 

 New York. N. Y., January 14, 1920. 



93 



