CAREERS IN FORESTRY 21 



they have an established reputation which brings a demand for their 

 services in solving particularly important problems. 



The operation of private holdings is likely to tend more and more 

 toward conservation practices. This development will probably be 

 accompanied by a growth in cooperative timber production and mar- 

 keting associations among small landholders and farmers. Already, 

 some mills are being supplied with needed timber through such or- 

 ganizations. A few cooperatives operate their own sawmills or wood- 

 processing plants. Trained foresters are employed by the coopera- 

 tives in directing the operations of their members and in marketing 

 the timber produced. 



Compensation in private forestry depends largely upon the earning 

 capacity of the individual. Ordinarily, foresters in private employ are 

 paid at a somewhat higher rate than public forest officers in the same 

 grade of work. Furthermore, where the forester works into a regular 

 business, as, for example, in the lumber business, his remuneration 

 will depend not only upon his technical attainments but his business 

 capacity and value to the company. 



Trade and Conservation Associations 



Many of the national and regional trade associations of lumbermen, 

 pulp and paper producers, and other forest industry groups employ 

 technical foresters as staff advisers or as directors of certain lines of 

 promotional work. The top executive directors of several of these as- 

 sociations, in fact, are professional foresters whose experience and 

 abilities led to their selection for these positions. The National For- 

 est Products Association, American Forest Products Industries, Inc., 

 Western Pine Association, and American Paper and Pulp Association 

 are some of the groups that employ technical foresters. 



A number of foresters have found interesting opportunities with con- 

 servation organizations such as the American Forestry Association, and 

 various State forest conservation associations. Men chosen for execu- 

 tive secretaryships of such associations usually have demonstrated 

 ability in public relations. From time to time, some of these associa- 

 tions sponsor and finance special studies or surveys which call for the 

 services of trained foresters. Men with experience in the particular 

 line involved are selected to conduct such projects. 



The professional organization of foresters in the United States is 

 the Society of American Foresters, with headquarters in Washington, 

 D.C., and regional sections in various parts of the country. The pur- 

 pose of this organization is the maintenance of high standards in pro- 

 fessional practice and promotion of the interests and welfare of the 

 profession generally. Professional forestry training or practical ex- 

 perience substantially equivalent to that obtained in a school of for- 

 estry is the requisite for membership. 



Teaching 



Teaching offers opportunities to the technical forester. As noted 

 earlier, nearly 50 colleges and universities in the United States have 

 schools or departments offering forestry courses. Advanced technical 

 training plus teaching ability are requisites for appointment to a fac- 

 ulty position. Practical woods experience, in addition, often is an 

 advantage. 



