THE APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT 

 TO FORESTRY. 



By Karl W. Woodward. 



Foresters, like the men of most other scientific professions, have 

 felt very Httle interest in so-called scientific management. It has 

 seemed to them to consist of methods applicable only in the rela- 

 tively simple and easily standardized conditions of factory work. 

 The claims of Mr. Taylor and his associates that scientific man- 

 agement will solve the labor problem, while of vital interest in 

 the business world, have obscured for the professional man the 

 underlying principles of scientific management. He feels that he 

 has no labor problem, and why, therefore, bother to discuss 

 methods which seem peculiarly adapted to businesses where the 

 employee is endeavoring to render as little service as possible. 



The first objection to the introduction of scientific management 

 is the common one raised against it everywhere. Even the fac- 

 tory manager's first reply to the suggestion of introducing these 

 principles into his shop is almost invariably, "Our business is too 

 complex. I can see very well how it would work in bricklaying 

 or something like that, but you can't standardize our operations." 

 Of course, the answer to this is that it has been successfully in- 

 troduced into even the most complex industries and professions. 



The objection that a profession without labor troubles has no 

 need for scientific management is also founded on a misconception 

 of the fundamental principles of the subject, because the possi- 

 bility of solving the labor problem is only one of the incidental 

 advantages of scientific management. Every worker, profes- 

 sional or otherwise, does need methods that will enable him to 

 work more effectively, to turn out more work with less effort and 

 with less cost. That is the reason why scientific management 

 should appeal to every forester. 



Scientific management can best be defined as the application of 

 the scientific method to the conduct of any business. M;. Taylor 

 explains it by enumerating four principles as follows : 



