190] 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



'43 



THE PROPER PROFESSIONAL TITLE FOR FORESTERS. 



By Dr. John Gifford. 

 OW that forestry has already become Royal Engineering College at Cooper's 



l\l an important profession in this 

 country and that two of our leading 

 universities are turning out professional 

 foresters, the question of title and degree 

 is an important one. The following is 

 written for the purpose of inviting discus- 

 sion -pro and con. 



The term forester is generic in nature. 

 It should include as in Germany, India 

 and elsewhere men who do forest work 

 whether they are graduates of forest col- 

 leges or not. A man may attend a forest 

 college for one year and having had already 

 a good general training may be able to go 

 into the forest and do as well, if not better 

 than a graduate in forestrv. He is entitled 

 to the title of Forester, but not of course 

 to the degree and title which the institution 

 confers upon its graduates 



Hdl, England, of which the college of 

 forestry is a part, are known as " certified 

 engineers in forestry." 



Some object to the title "engineer" 

 because it is loosely used in this country 

 even for engine drivers. It would be diffi- 

 cult however to find a more appropriate- 

 term than "engineer" for foresters. It 

 comes from the Latin " ingenio " which 

 means " to produce," " to engender," " to 

 propagate." This certainly applies to 

 the forester, whose work is the formation 

 and care of forests. 



Even in its American sense the word 

 " engineer" is quite applicable for fully 

 one-half of the forester's work is strictly 

 engineering. He must build roads, even 

 railroads, sawmills, dams, flumes, timber 

 slides, and a host of similar constructions. 



This article refers only to the title which He must also do survey work. Before he 



graduates in forestry should receive. The 

 term forester as a general generic title 

 cannot be improved upon. It seems to 

 the writer that the terms Bachelor in For- 

 estry (B.F.), Master of Forestry (M.F.), 

 and Bachelor of Science in Forestry 

 (B.S.F.) are for several reasons objec- 

 tionable. 



I have suggested therefore the title of 

 Forest Engineer (F.E.) for the following 

 reasons : Forestry is a profession similar 

 to civil and mechanical engineering and 

 being a new subject in this country, should 



can measure the amount of timber in a 

 piece of land he must be able to measure 

 the land. He must do topographical work 

 and map making. 



Now is the time to adopt such a title. 

 It should, however, be strictly confined to 

 the graduates of forest colleges and to those 

 persons upon whom these colleges ma) 

 honorarily confer the degree. The degree 

 F.E. is short, to the point, professional 

 in nature, and already in use in several 

 parts of the world and even in a pan 

 our own possessions. It is familiar, more 



receive a distinct degree. By establishing or less, to the Spanish-speaking peoples oi 



the title and degree of Forest Engineer, it 

 will aid in the establishment of the profes- 

 sion of forestry on a footing with other 

 similar professions such as civil, sanitary, 

 and mechanical engineering. 



The title of Forest Engineer is not new 

 and is not an invention on my part. The 

 use of the title " ingenieur forestier" is 

 common in France, Belgium, and Rou- 



mania. Foresters in Spain and in Spanish Master in professional degrees. When a 

 countries including Cuba and the Philip- man becomes a Doctor of Medicine 

 pines are known as " engenerio de mon- Surgery that settles it. In such case- th 

 tes," or engineers of the forests. The Bachelor and Master titles are useless. 

 young foresters who go to India from the When a man becomes a C.E. or M.E. th 



Central and South America. 



In a profession of this kind where the 

 nature of the work is practically the same 

 in quality and quantity throughout the 

 world the sooner a universal title is es- 

 tablished the better. 



The title of Bachelor and Master should 

 be confined to academic work. There 

 should be no grading of Bachelor and 



