THE COCONINO RANGER SCHOOL. 

 By Theodore S. Woolsey, Jr. 



The interesting article on "Ranger Courses," in this volume of 

 Forestry Quarterly, on page 147, by Mr. Rothery, emphasizes 

 the need of training rangers, in order to secure successful field 

 work in the Forest Service. This has been keenly felt and it is now 

 recognized that upon an efficient ranger force rests, to a great de- 

 gree, the success or failure of the Service. This is particularly 

 true in timber sales where much of the routine for some time to 

 come must be left to the ranger force, owing to the scarcity of 

 technically trained men. As the writer has observed in British 

 India, one of the chief reasons for the successful forest adminis- 

 tration there has been a force of technically trained rangers. 

 These officers trained at Dehra Dun are given a training that com- 

 pares favorably with most of the Forest Schools in the United 

 States, and is much superior to many of them. 



One solution of this educational problem has been educational 

 co-operation with local and State universities. Instructors have 

 been temporarily detailed on furlough and rangers have been 

 given every opportunity to attend. Another solution, which was 

 approved by the Forester on June 14, will be the establishment of 

 a Ranger School on the Coconino National Forest, Arizona, in 

 District 3. 



The advisability of having a Government training school for 

 rangers, to correspond with the schools of instruction maintained 

 by the Army and Navy, has been often recommended during the 

 past few years, but the definite project of a school on the Coconino 

 Forest during the coming summer, originated and was planned, I 

 think, chiefly by District Forester Ringland. 



The object of the school is to give technical and practical train- 

 ing to rangers and possibly practical training to new Forest As- 

 sistants fresh from Forest Schools, who are not familiar with 

 western conditions. This will replace former ranger meetings, 

 where it was customary to discuss the "Use book" regulations, as 

 well as office and field procedure and methods. 



The school will be held during September and October on the 



