RANGER COURSES. 



Julian Eastman Rothsry, M. F. 



One of the important and typical institutions in Old World 

 forestry is the training school for Forest Rangers. The Indian 

 School at Dehra Dun and the several famous academies in 

 Europe are established on certain factors in the forest policies 

 of their respective countries. 



The progress of American Forestry has hardly included the 

 creation of schools of this kind, until, independently, some of the 

 Western colleges have started Ranger Courses of two or three 

 months duration in the winter season. The need and value of 

 these courses is only just beginning to be realized ; their syste- 

 matic development has not yet been undertaken. 



I should like to draw attention to two points concerning pri- 

 mary forest instruction. First, the demand for and value of 

 such instruction ; second, the most feasible manner of building 

 up ranger training schools. 



There are probably very few government positions of equal 

 rank which require so many different qualifications and such a 

 wide scope of knowledge, both in the field and in the office, as the 

 position of Forest Ranger. He must have certain natural abili- 

 ties, and in addition a certain special training. As he deals di- 

 rectly with the forest users, from his competency the Service is 

 often judged. Frequently he is a man of wide field experience, 

 but of limited understanding along practical forestry lines, con- 

 cerning which he is expected to have so much and applicable 

 knowledge. However, when it comes to range and stock prob- 

 lems, he has a keen and almost incredible perception and knowl- 

 edge, an intimacy that can never come to any, except the man 

 born and raised on the range. 



This, then, is the typical Forest Ranger to-day, strong in the 

 grazing lines developed by years of contact, but hampered by 

 lack of conceptions of the elements of handling timber and often 

 of surveying and other subjects, which fundamentals may be 

 given in a comparatively brief period, fully enough for a general 

 basis in every day work. 



