forest methods can seldon be adopted without modification in this 

 countrj^ they have been rich in suggestion in the apphcation of prac- 

 tical forestr}- to American forests. The American forest student who 

 puts aside a chance to see forestry in Europe makes the same mistake 

 that a medical student would be guilty of who ignored an opportunity 

 to practice in the best hospitals abroad. 



College or university training, followed by a full course at a forest 

 school and supplemented by work in the woods in this country and in 

 Europe, may not be possible for every student of forestry. A thorough 

 preparation for forestry as a profession should, however, include these 

 lines of work. How many of them the student may omit and still 

 retain a fair chance of success in his profession can not be laid down 

 altogether within hard and fast lines, although study at a forest school 

 has become essential. A great deal must depend upon a man's zeal 

 and industry, aiid upon his natural fitness for forest work. On the 

 other hand, the man who is considering forestry as a profession will do 

 well to remember that the only sound basis for success in forestry, as 

 in any other scientific profession, is a thorough and systematic prep- 

 aration ; that no matter how high his natural abilities may be, the 

 insufficiently trained forester can not hope to compete with those who 

 have enjoyed full advantages in their preparation ; and that in this 

 country, perhaps more than in any other, forest problems present diffi- 

 culties which require, above all, a thorough understanding of his work 

 in the man who undertakes to deal with them. 



THE OPENING FOR FORESTERS. 



The management of the National forest reserves will require the ser- 

 vices of manj^ trained men. The Bureau of Forestrj^ will require an 

 increasing number of suitably prepared foresters to supply its needs. 

 The lack of foresters to care for the forest interests of several States is 

 already making itself strongly felt. An increasing number of foresters will 

 be required by private forest owners, as the great holders of timber lands 

 come to realize more generall}^ that conservative lumbering pays better 

 than the methods now employed. The Forestry Bureau in the Philippines 

 offers what is in some ways an unrivaled opportunity to trained men. 



As regards compensation, forestry offers the well-prepared man a fair 

 living. It is naturall}^ impossible to foretell what will be the paj^ of 

 foresters in this country. It is reasonably certain, however, that their 

 salaries will never be large. Trained foresters in the employ of the 

 Bureau of Forestry now receive from $900 to $3,500 a year. 



GiFFORD PiNCHOT, 



Approved : Forester, 



James Wilson, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



Washington, D. C, July l, 1904. 



