814 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



farmer who has conserved his woodlot will 

 look back gratefully to his college course in 

 forestry. Many of these men later become 

 members of the State Legislatures, and their 

 influence for sound forestry principles, in- 

 culcated while at college, will go far toward 

 counteracting the hasty, ill-considered for- 

 estry legislation, which is a most threatening 

 feature of the present forestry situation. 



The State University cannot confine its 

 work to teaching within its walls, and ex- 

 tension work among the people of the State 

 is most important. There is at present a 

 bill before the Legislature of Vermont to 

 provide for agricultural extension on the 

 part of the State University. It is very 

 much to be desired that this bill shall pass 

 and that forestry extension may be carried 

 on as a part of the new work. 



For the sake of students desiring to spe- 

 cialize in forestry, and in other scieptific 

 professions, a science course has been 

 adopted in the University of Vermont which 

 will enable a student to take all the work 

 required for admission in any professional 

 forest school. Any student who can com- 

 plete this work in three years with one-half 

 of his marks of (B) grade, and none below 

 (C) grade, may obtain his degree of bache- 

 lor of science after Jhe satisfactory comple- 

 tion of his first year in a forest school of 

 recognized standing. 



California 



The State of California depends upon a 

 voluntary firewarden system for the protec- 

 tion of its vast timber resources. The fire- 

 wardens are public-spirited citizens who 

 have the conservation of our forests at 

 heart. They have the powers of a peace 

 officer to arrest without warrant for viola- 

 tions of the forest laws. They rendered 

 very efficient assistance during the calendar 

 yejjr of 1912, and up to November 1 made 

 39 arrests. The cases were prosecuted by 

 Justices of the Peace and the District At- 

 torneys. Convictions were secured in 29 

 cases ; in 1 case the offender was acquitted ; 

 3 were released ; 2 dismissed ; in 2 cases the 

 fines were suspended, and in another case, 

 because of extenuating circumstances, the 

 offender was placed on probation for six 

 months in lieu of a fine. 



A favorable public sentiment against for- 

 est fires has grown steadily. It has been 

 shown, however, that the maximum effi- 

 ciency has been obtained through the efforts 

 of the voluntary firewardens. It is apparent 

 that the fire situation can be successfully 

 handled only through the maintenance of a 

 paid State patrol, and toward that end an 

 effort will be made to secure the necessary 

 appropriation at the coming Legislature. 



A Forestry Club has been organized at the 

 University of California for the purpose of 

 securing an appropriation from the Legis- 

 lature for the creation of a forestry dep.art- 

 ment. There is a membership of about 

 forty earnest students from the botany and 

 agricultural departments. They hold regu- 

 lar bi-weekly meetings and secure such 

 speakers as they can to address them upon 

 forestry and allied subjects. They have 

 succeeded in interesting members of the 

 Faculty in their undertaking. All of these 

 students wish to follow forestry as a pro- 

 fession, but many of them feel that they 

 prefer to receive their training in the West 

 rather than in Eastern universities. 



The field for practical work and observa- 

 tion in California is unsurpassed by other 

 States. Conservative forestry is being con- 

 ducted on 20 national forests where the stu- 

 dents can work during the summer months. 

 Their milling, logging and other practical 

 work can be obtained upon the large hold- 

 ings of the timber companies within a com- 

 paratively short distance of the University 

 campus. 



The conservation of our natural resources 

 can here be assured by the practice of for- 

 estry principles on private holdings which 

 comprise three-fourths of the entire tim- 

 bered area. By training California men 

 here on the ground it is probable that, 

 through the;r connection with timber inter- 

 ests, they will eventually apply their knowl- 

 edge of forestry principles in the manage- 

 ment of the forests of our State. Every 

 assistance should be given the members of 

 the Forestry Club in their endeavor to se- 

 cure an appropriation to establish a Depart- 

 ment of Forestry at the University of Cali- 

 fornia. 



TO HEAD A RANGER SCHOOL 



F. B. Moody, assistant State Forester of Wisconsin, visited the New York State College 

 of Forestry, \Syracuse University, recently. Mr. Moody is a graduate of the Forestry School 

 of the University of Michigan and has been connected with the State work in Wisconsin 

 for the last six years. On January 1, Mr. Moody will take up his duties as head of the 

 Ranger School to be established by the State Forest Service and the University of Wisconsin. 

 The Ranger School is similar in scope to that conducted by the New York State College of 

 Forestry at Wanakena. 



