2 MISC. PUBLICATION 2 4 9, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



fessional man. Such an education usually requires a minimum of 4 years 

 of college work. A course of 5 or 6 years — 1 or 2 of which are spent in post- 

 graduate work — is desirable for those interested in forest research. The 

 large number of men who look for employment in the lumber business or 

 other forest-using industries will find college training in the principles of 

 forestry as valuable to their success as it is to that of the men who plan to 

 specialize in more scientific and technical forestry work. 



College training is but a part of the preparation needed. It must be 

 supplemented by first-hand experience in forest or conservation work. 

 Many young men obtain part of this experience through summer-school 

 camps and some get it through fieldwork during summer vacation periods 

 in a Federal or State forest, a conservation organization, or in the employ 

 of a lumber company. Men who plan to specialize in lumbering find 

 several years of work in logging camps and mills valuable in learning the 

 practical details of the business. 



Courses leading to degrees in forestry are offered in about 40 institutions. 

 Many other colleges also include forestry in their curriculums, the instruc- 

 tion being given on a nonprofessional basis as supplementary training in 

 other degree courses. Enrollment of undergraduates in the forestry schools 

 in the United States prior to World War II totaled more than 6,000. 

 Figures from the forestry schools indicated that about 500 degrees were 

 being granted annually. About 1,900 bachelor's degrees in forestry were 

 granted in the academic year 1962-63. 



A list of the schools rated as accredited forestry schools by the Council of 

 the Society of American Foresters can be obtained from the Forest Service, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington 25, D. C. In most cases, a 

 4-year course is offered, leading to a degree of Bachelor of Science in 

 Forestry. Several universities provide graduate instruction leading to 

 Master of Forestry and doctorate degrees. As a Government agency, the 

 Forest Service is not in a position to express an opinion as to the relative 

 merits of the schools or their courses. Information concerning entrance 

 requirements, tuition, etc., can be obtained by applying directly to the 

 institution. 



Women in Forestry 



Forestry has generally been considered man's rather than woman's work. 

 It will probably continue to be primarily, although not exclusively so. A 

 few women have acquired technical training in forestry and have found 

 employment in this field — for the most part in research or educational work. 

 There have been instances of women successfully managing logging and 

 other industrial forest enterprises, having in most cases "grown up in the 

 business." 



The opportunities for women in technical forestry work, however, are 

 limited. Many outdoor positions are necessarily restricted to men; physical 

 difficulties and other conditions in the field make the employment of women 

 impracticable from the standpoint both of the employee and the employing 

 agency. And since experience in such fieldwork is generally a requisite 

 for promotion to higher administrative or technical positions, women are 

 unfortunately at a disadvantage. 



In the nontechnical field, many women are employed in forestry agencies 

 as clerks, stenographers, secretaries, draftsmen, etc.; and as a result of 

 experience and special aptitudes, some have risen to important positions. 



