400 Forestry Q itarterly. 



and 



" * * most valuable is the one who has a thorough 

 grounding in emergency and silvical work and who at the 

 same time has the right personality * *." 



It is my own experience that if a man is a "good mixer" he can 

 succeed on a western Forest even if he is not particularly brilliant. 

 In fact, if a man has the good will of the men with whom he 

 works, they will have the tendency to minimize his technical short- 

 comings. At least, a man who does not get on has all his tech- 

 nical defects exposed and exaggerated. 



A rather general review of the causes of temporary or perma- 

 nent failures in the past shows four main shortcomings : Person- 

 ality ; training ; judgment ; improper assignment. 



When men "fall down" permanently their misfortune is usually 

 due to lack of adaptability to western conditions. A new man 

 must try to adapt himself to the west and try to appreciate the 

 point of view of Forest users. To be officious is fatal to success, 

 A man who does not tacitly acknowledge his ignorance in some 

 of the practical every-day problems of western life often appears 

 in a false light. Loyal co-operation with superior officers is nat- 

 urally to be expected. 



The older forest schools are turning out better trained men 

 every year. Yet, in some districts, Forest Assistants have sufifered 

 from a lack of business training, and because they have not been 

 schooled in the first essentials of woodsmanship. Some men from 

 well known schools have been unable to make a simple estimate, 

 to run a compass line except under ordinary conditions, to map, 

 or to analyze logging cost. Even written reports and every day 

 diaries have shown, in some cases, a woeful lack of training in 

 the routine of a forester's early work. Inaccuracy and ignorance 

 of some of the chief western problems can usually be charged up 

 to superficial preparation at school. When a man "soldiers" his 

 work and lacks ambition and energy it is perhaps because he did 

 not understand before going west that there must be tiresome rou- 

 tine work in the ranks, often with no social diversions to break the 

 monotony. 



The forester's judgment must, of course, be gradually de- 

 veloped by experience, but it is too costly and wholly unfair 

 to expect the Forest Service to excuse some of the mistakes due 



