96 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



manner in which forests grow, having become 

 familiar with the science of forestry, he develops 

 superior positive methods in treatment and per- 

 petuation of the forest and aj^plies the art of for- 

 estry; and, adding the financial aspect in the 

 application of the art, he practises the business 

 of forestry. 



In its broadest sense thus the term "forestry," ac- 

 cording to the point of view, represents a policy, a 

 science, an art, a business. A policy is a general 

 plan of behavior, a general line of conduct with 

 reference to our affairs, embodying the philosophy, 

 the motives and object of our programme. By de- 

 termining upon a policy with reference to a resource 

 like the forest, we assign it a place in our political 

 or domestic economy, we make up our mind as to 

 what to do with it. It is from this point of view 

 that this volume proposes to discuss the subject. 



Such a policy we naturally base on knowledge 

 or science which furnishes us the reason for our 

 policy, the why to do. This science of forestry 

 comprises all the knowledge regarding forest 

 growth, — its component parts, the life history of 

 the species, and their behavior under varying condi- 

 tions, its development and dependence upon natu- 

 ral conditions, its retroactive influence upon those 

 natural conditions, in short its place in the economy 

 of nature and of man. 



When we come to formulate our knowledge into 

 rules of procedure and apply the same to the 



