12 AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 
Its first problem, however, was not silviculture, but administration. 
It had to protect its vast forests from fire and trespass, so that its timber 
and grazing resources could be utilised economically and systematically. These 
facts overshadowed the plagiarist policy, and with an enormous domain to be 
handled and only the nucleus of a forest force at its disposal, it was inevitable 
that the new Forest Service should find itself immediately overwhelmed with 
problems of administration. The forests of the United States of America were 
peculiarly subject to destruction by fire, owing to their inflammability and the 
steep configuration of the land they occupied. Fire protection was the 
dominating need, calling for the organisation of the forest and its force for 
defence. Trails, ranger cabins, telephone lines were required. A timber sales 
policy had to be developed. Grazing lands within the forests had to be 
administered. The foundations had to be laid before technique could be added. 
Followed a period of very rapid change, due to an earnest striving after 
development. The administration was strong, aggressive, and venturesome. 
Tt over-reached itself on occasion, but its mistakes chastened rather than 
discouraged it. And they focussed attention on the problems, compelling 
solution. Development, after all, is the correction of the errors of venture- 
someness. Final solution comes only after initial failures. 
Very largely, the influence of the expanding science of management made 
itself felt in the development of the new service. Intensive investigation and 
experiment were features of its growth; the fitting of the individual and his 
work, and the fixation of individual responsibility, standardisation of the best 
methods, planning, due recording of accepted procedure in the wonderful 
National Forest Manual—all these things made for an extraordinary expansion. 
It is ten years since the United States of America Forest Service was 
launched into existence. To-day it ranks as one of the greatest Forestry 
Departments of the world. It controls some 164 tremendous forests, averaging 
1,000,000 acres each. It has a force of 3,875 persons, of whom 3,275 are 
employed upon the National Forests as supervisors, deputy supervisors, 
rangers, and guards, and 600 are engaged in administrative, scientific, and 
clerical work at the Washington and district headquarters. In 1915 it 
negotiated 90,000 transactions, sold 850,000,000 feet of timber (log measure- 
ment) for £255,000 ; and grazed 9,000,000 head of stock for £236,000. 
Its total receipts were £517,000. Its expenditure was £1,545,000. 
Its motto is the national motto, “100 per cent. efficiency.” And it lives 
up to it. 
Cuapter VII. 
U.S.A. FOREST SERVICE ORGANISATION. 
The work of the United States Forest Service is described as consisting 
of “the. administration and protection of the National Forests, the develop- 
ment of their resources, and research into technical problems connected with 
forestry, and the discovery and diffusion of knowledge concerning the best 
use of forests and forest products.” 
Its organisation is of more than ordinary interest to us, because of the 
similarity of basic conditions, and of tendencies of development. The 
Australian organisation is as yet merely one of sketchy supervision with 
