358 Forestry Quarterly. 



sub-divided into silvicultural regions, such as those shown in 

 Hawes and Hawley's "Forestry in New England", Each region 

 has its pecuHar forest types which may be handled with such 

 detail as the conditions may require. 



Forest Geography is a subject which at the conference did not 

 receive separate attention, but receives a special assignment in 

 some institutions. It may then in part include a broader dis- 

 cussion on the ecology of forest types besides a description of 

 these, by so much relieving the course in silvics. 



In this connection the same problem is encountered as in 

 dendrology, namely, that it is impossible for students to learn all 

 the types in the country. There should be a thorough mastery 

 of at least all the silvicultural regions and their chief characteris- 

 tics. The types of the general region where the school is located 

 should be thoroughly covered. Beyond that the institution may 

 be confined to the main features of the types in which the species 

 covered in dendrology grow. Thus an eastern school would, 

 xmder dendrology, consider Sugar Pine ; but the type in which 

 Sugar Pine is an important factor should be described in the 

 course in silvics. In all this work it should be borne in mind 

 that the object is to lay the foundation of silviculture. The 

 botanical and silvical characteristics of Sugar Pine and of types 

 in which it is a dominant factor are studied to aid the student in 

 handling that tree in silvicultural practice. For this reason some 

 schools defer the discussion of forest regions and specific forest 

 types until the senior year and then include not only the descrip- 

 tion of the types but the problems of protection, silvicultural 

 management, lumbering, reforestation, etc. 



Field training in silvics is of the greatest importance and in 

 many ways is the most difficult task in forestry education. The 

 student may be taught without great difficulty how to observe and 

 determine the characteristics of individual trees and how to 

 express the results in terms of averages and extremes. It is more 

 difficult to give a grasp of the forest as made up of stands, each 

 with a character distinguishing it from others, and having a life, 

 growth, and development, all of which may be measured and 

 expressed in specific terms. This involves many individual field 

 tasks by the student and the most intelligent personal supervision 



