194 FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



employ are the only solution of this problem. There can be no doubt 

 that the right men starting out in this line could make a vast success of it. 



Forest Schools 



It is noteworthy that Columbia University has within the year com- 

 mitted itself to the establishment of a professional school of forestry. 

 There is, however, an extensive need for a class of foresters of a lower grade 

 of training than those contemplated; a different type of men altogether 

 from those turned out from most of the forest schools of the country. 

 Highly trained professional men are indispensable in their way, and there 

 is no likelihood of training too many or too well for the needs of the country, 

 but they are too fine a tool for a great many purposes. The compensation 

 they expect is considerable, and they are intellectual men, too highly 

 developed on that side to stay by the plain and simple jobs which make up 

 the body of the work of forestry. On the other hand, these jobs, to be 

 done at their best, require training, and much of it is of such a nature that 

 it can be better and more quickly acquired in a school than in practice. 

 There seems, therefore, to be opportunity for one or two schools which, 

 if more than one, should be in different sections of the State, to turn out 

 this class of foresters. The training required, it is believed, should occupy 

 two years, coming on top of a high school education. The men thus turned 

 out could go into the State service as inspectors and patrolmen and the 

 force could then be placed entirely on a civil service basis. They would 

 also find employment, when their capacities became known, as foremen of 

 lumbering operations and managers of forest estates, in this capacity, 

 guided often, no doubt, by more highly trained foresters. 



It is pleasant to be able to state that a movement is now on foot for 

 the establishment of such a school in northern New York. 



Other Features of the Work 



During the past year a revised edition of the Adirondack map has 

 been issued and a new map is being prepared of the Catskill region. 



A new edition of the land list is now (December) in press. The last 

 previous edition was issued in 1905. 



