Progress of the U. S. Forest Service. 407 



2. Increased activity of the public and the legislatures in the 

 forestry movement. 



3. Increased efficiency in all lines of forestry work in the vari- 

 ous states because of the interchange of ideas on effective methods 

 of State organization and fire control. 



National Forest Investigations. 

 At present there are nine forest experiment stations. Re- 

 forestation problems are given the most attention. The following 

 phases of reforestation are given the greatest attention : — 



1. Methods of seed extraction. 



2. Methods of direct seeding. 



3. Nursery work. 



4. Methods of field planting. 



5. Studies in the breeding. 



6. Factors governing production fertility of tree seed. 



In addition, mensuration studies, thinning experiments, studies 

 in forest management, forest influences, efforts of grazing, are 

 only a few of the things to which the experiment stations devote 

 their attention. 



Silvicultural and dendrological studies are carried on by the 

 Washington investigative force. 



Other studies given consideration by the Forest Service are 

 those that deal directly with forest products. Among these 

 studies are : — 



1. Utilization of National Forest timber. 



2. Wood preservation. 



3. Wood chemistry and distillation. 



4. Timber physics. 



5. Pulp and paper investigations. 



6. Industrial investigations. 



Conclusion. 

 In this abstract, as little attention as possible has been given 

 to mere figures and statistics. It was deemed far more important 

 by the writer to outline the scope of the work of the Forest Serv- 

 ice, and to give briefly the policies which govern this work. Much 

 that is essential and important had to be omitted in order to give 

 this digest the brevity that is demanded of it. 



