THE TECHNICAI. FORESTER 157 



If this is true, the management of human affairs is the principal 

 problem met with in the management of a forest. A thorough and 

 accurate judgment of men and motives is essential to a good adminis- 

 trative or executive forest officer, and without that he is working 

 under a handicap which is almost insurmountable. To attain a true 

 knowledge of the bona fides of a particular set of representations, he 

 must understand thoroughly every cause or fact leading up to the 

 existing condition; he must be able to appraise, and if necessary dis- 

 count, the truth and accuracy of every statement made, and he must 

 be able to analyze the sincerity or insincerity of the motives which 

 prompt the different men with whom he deals to make certain repre- 

 sentations or request certain actions. He must necessarily be broad 

 in his views and must be able to keep in his mind the whole big 

 problem of human welfare and public service as it is affected by his 

 administrative actions, and must fit into his general scheme of admin- 

 istration the multitudinous and complicated affairs of thousands of 

 individuals of the various communities. 



Passing from the broad field of human affairs to the details of 

 National Forest administration, it becomes obvious that forest manage- 

 ment is only one of a number of activities — in fact, not always the 

 most important one. The use of the forage resources of the forest is 

 vitally necessary to the proper development and progress of numerous 

 communities and much more numerous individuals ; so the grazing 

 problem is a very complicated and a very urgent one. Our some- 

 what archaic system of land laws creates in itself innumerable prob- 

 lems of forest administration, the solution of which presents com- 

 plications requiring the most expert information and understanding. 

 Consequently lands activities often are paramount over strictly forest- 

 management activities. The vast practically virgin areas of forest 

 land must be developed by the construction of physical improvements 

 such as roads, trails, bridges, telephone lines, administrative sites, 

 fences, etc., before they can be properly administered. This work 

 requires of the officer in charge marked familiarity with at least simple 

 methods of construction, considerable ability in the selection and pur- 

 chase of the material which will best serve the purposes in mind, and still 

 more ability in the selection and the management of men whose labor 

 is required for the construction of the necessary improvements. Water- 

 shed protection, involving the prevention of erosion and the pollution 

 of sources of water supply, requires good judgment and is becoming 

 increasingly important. These are some of the material things which. 



