FORESTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 



r^X accordance with the diversified of note that Washington and Oregon 



needs of the State the University alone contain about one-third of the 



**"^ of Washington has the Colleges standing timber in the United States 



of Liberal Arts, Engineering, Forestry, today. 



Pharmacy, and Mines and the School In providing instruction in forestry 



of Law. The College of Agriculture is the State of Washington has thus 



distinct from the L'niversity and has its opened the way for training some of its 



own governing board. The forests of young men to work in one of its most 



Washington and the Pacific Coast gen- important fields of industry, to help 



erally are the most magnificent in the solve some of the many problems the 



world. Nowhere else is the yield per community will be called upon to solve 



acre so large nor the rate of growth in in the future. With a distinct feeling 



the forest as a whole so rapid. The of the need of instruction in forestry in 



past rapid development of the North- the Northwest and particularly in 



west Coast region is directly attribut- Washington the College of Forestry 



able to its immense forest wealth. was established in 1907. 



Forestry in Washington is in many 



respects as important as agriculture. ORGANIZATION AND CURRICULUM 



Up to the present the products of the The original purpose of the depart- 



forests have been more important than ment was to prepare men to meet the 



the products of fields, farms, and mines various local needs in forestry, and to 



combined. The State of Washington promote the interests of forestry in the 



ranks first of all the United States in State by encouraging the right use of 



the production of lumber. Oregon forest resources. With the demand for 



ranks ninth. Together the two states men on the National Forests the ener- 



produce about 12 per cent of all the gies of the School were at first directed 



lumber manufactured in the country, entirely toward training men for the 



In addition Washington produces more position of technical assistant. It was 



than 65 per cent of all the shingles deemed possible to train men for this 



manufactured in the country. position in a four year undergraduate 



Because much of the land of these course, and this has been an entire suc- 



States is unsuited to the production cess. However, as the technical work 



either of agricultural crops or of stock, of this course did not differ materially 



forest products will always be the basis from that offered in graduate schools 



for some of the most important indus- of forestry it was considered only just 



tries. It has been estimated by Forest to offer a master's degree to students 



Service officials that ultimately 50 per who had already obtained a collegiate 



cent of all the lumber manufactured in legree and wished to complete the re- 



the country will originate in a few of quired work in technical forestry. In 



Vestern States. Washington has that case a master's thesis is required. 



i more than 12 million acres in per- The work is completed in two years. 



National Forests, the State it- At present arrangements are being 



;lf has several hundred thousand acres made for more advanced work for this 



much of it heavily timbered class of students. Two such courses 



six million acres of forested are being offered this year. 



or controlled by lum- In 1909 a special short course of 



In addition to the lands twelve weeks was established for For- 



much of the land est Rangers and Guards desiring to in- 



P ri ne d rt'ill always be more crease their efficiency, or for others 



imp' :ant in the production of timber who wish to fit themselves for these 



than of any other crop. It is a matter positions. In connection with this 



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