FOREST EXTENSION AN APPRAISAL AND A PROGRAM 



By I. F. ELDREDGE, Principal Economist 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Federal cooperation with agricultural colleges 1575 



Forestry extension by Federal and State forest services 1576 



Other forestry extension agencies 1577 



An appraisal of the forestry-extension program of today 1578 



A 10-year program 1581 



The field of effort 1581 



The mission of forestry extension is to spread a working knowledge 

 of forestry. Like all other kinds of extension work, it is primarily 

 educational and demonstrational in character. Its purpose is to 

 bring about a widespread appreciation of the place of forestry in our 

 national economic and social structure, to pass on to forest landowners, 

 users, and managers all applicable knowledge of forestry and forest 

 practice, and to demonstrate and interpret in the light of local require- 

 ments desirable practices in forestry all to the end that the forest 

 lands of the country may produce larger returns expressed in terms 

 of both profit and human welfare. 



That forestry extension is an essential step to better forest practice 

 has of course been obvious to those interested in the forestry move- 

 ment, and considerable extension effort, both organized and incidental 

 has been carried on. But, as measured by the financial investment 

 in it, it is doubtful whether foresters or their backers have realized 

 one tenth of the results that might be attained through a serious and 

 thoroughgoing program along extension lines. The main work in 

 forestry extension at present is that being conducted by the States 

 in cooperation with the Federal Government, but other agencies 

 should not be overlooked. The following is a brief account of the 

 various activities. More detailed discussions of the work appear in 

 the preceding sections of this report. 



FEDERAL COOPERATION WITH AGRICULTURAL 

 COLLEGES 



The cooperation of the United States Department of Agriculture 

 with State colleges of agriculture is a Nation-wide forestry extension 

 activity resulting from the operation of the Clarke-McNary law of 

 1924, its purpose being 



to assist the owners of farms in establishing, improving, and renewing woodlots, 

 shelter belts, windbreaks, and other valuable forest growth, and in growing and 

 renewing useful timber crops. 



Federal cooperation is administered by the Extension Service of 

 the Department with the technical advice and assistance of the 

 Forest Service. The extension is conducted as a part of the program 

 of the 33 State agricultural colleges that cooperate, and is handled 

 usually through State extension services as a part of the agricultural 

 extension work. Federal funds appropriated annually, mainly under 



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