THE YALE FOREST SCHOOL 
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 
By JAMES WILLIAM TOUMEY 
Director of the Yale Forest School, and a professor in the School since 
its foundation 
The first great step in forest conservation in the United 
States was taken in 1891 when, through the action of Congress, 
the President was given authority to set aside forest reserva- 
tions. Previous to this time forestry in the United States 
was chiefly propaganda. There were less than a half dozen 
trained foresters in the entire country. It was soon found 
necessary, however, to appoint supervisors, forest rangers, and 
other forest officers to take charge of the newly created reser- 
vations. The work was organized with men having little or 
no knowledge of technical forestry. Even before the creation 
of the National forests some of the states had begun to develop 
a progressive forest policy and to acquire land for state forests. 
The beginnings were also made in forestry on privately owned 
timber land. At the beginning of the present century not only 
the National government but many of the states and, to some 
extent, private owners of large forest properties were seeking 
trained foresters. 
As early as 1887 a course of lectures on technical forestry was 
given by Bernhard E. Fernow at the Massachusetts Agricultural 
College. This was the first instruction in forestry given by a 
trained forester at an educational institution in the United 
States. Prior to this date some of the agricultural colleges 
sustained chairs of botany and forestry combined. In no instance, 
however, were the men who occupied them trained foresters, 
nor did they teach technical forestry. 
In 1898 Dr. Fernow resigned his position as chief of the 
Division of Forestry of the United States Department of Agri- 
culture and organized and became director of the New York 
State College of Forestry at Cornell University. This was the 
first school of technical forestry in the United States. About 
