786 A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 



chial schools of the State. Tennessee led in requiring that forestry 

 must be included in the public-school curriculum. Its legislation on 

 this subject dates back to 1921. It was closely followed by Louisiana 

 in 1922. 



State colleges or universities with courses leading to a degree in 

 forestry are found in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, 

 Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mon- 

 tana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn- 

 sylvania, Utah, and Washington. In New York, Pennsylvania, and 

 Washington, State institutions provide courses of instruction for forest 

 rangers. 



Elementary courses in forestry are provided by universities and 

 colleges in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, 

 Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mary- 

 land, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hamp- 

 shire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Penn- 

 sylvania, Khpde Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Ver- 

 mont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. 



Forestry extension is another type of State activity. By forestry 

 extension is meant those activities directed toward assisting the pri- 

 vate owner in handling his forest land. Of necessity the State for- 

 ester is obliged to give time to this activity, even if it is only by 

 correspondence and the preparation and distribution of publications, 

 because he is certain to be called upon for this kind of service. There 

 is no measure of the time and effort which forestry extension entails, 

 but in the aggregate it is very considerable. It is a popular type of 

 service, and it is the means of inaugurating forest management in 

 wooded areas here and there throughout the State. If it could be 

 developed to the utmost of its possibilities, it would constitute per- 

 haps the greatest service that could be rendered to private timberland 

 owners. At the present time in most States dual organizations are 

 handling it, and for the most part too restrictedly. The first is the 

 State forestry organization; the second is the extension service of the 

 State agricultural colleges. The latter is limited to farm forestry 

 extension. The State forestry organizations for the most part have 

 not been built up to the point in number of men where they are able 

 to meet the demands for help. The State extension services are weak 

 also in the number of foresters employed (one forester ordinarily has 

 to cover the whole State) and too frequently the work is hampered 

 by a lack of training and experience in forestry on the part of the 

 county agents upon whose shoulders lies the major burden of agri- 

 cultural extension work. They are capable men, but extremely 

 busy with many other agricultural subjects. Hitherto, in their con- 

 ception of a county agent's job, attention to timber as a farm crop 

 has been likely not to find as much of a place as it merits. 



In a number of States there has been a definite effort by the State 

 foresters to foster the extension work. In Maryland at least it is a 

 major State forestry activity. Maryland has long made a specialty 

 of assisting private woodland owners. General examinations and 

 recommendations for handling private forest tracts are made entirely 

 without cost to the landowner. If an estimate of the timber and its 

 value is requested, if a sample marking is made, or if a contract of 

 sale is prepared and the owner furnished with a list of probable 

 buyers for his product, a charge for the forester 's services is made of 



