THE PROFESSION OF FORESTRY. 9 



a forest ranger, who is responsible for the protection of this area and 

 for the conduct of the local business upon it. During the summer 

 additional rangers and guards are employed to supplement the regular 

 force. In addition to this executive force there are technical assist- 

 ants to aid in scaling, in timber estimating, in surveymg, in grazing, 

 in land classification, and in other work which requires special tech- 

 nical knowledge and ability. 



The following table shows the classification of the force on the 

 National Forests on June 30, 1912, not including men in the District 

 offices : 



Supervisors 151 



Deputy super^dsors 100 



Rangers 1, 424 



Guards 526 



Forest examiners and forest assistants 129 



Timber and mining experts, engineers, land examiners, hunters, 



etc 112 



Clerks 182 



Total 2, 624 



The first task on the National Forests has been that of protecting 

 them and of organizing their business administration. Protection 

 of the Forests from fire is of fundamental importance, and every 

 effort has been directed toward this end. Not only have patrolmen 

 been employed to be on the lookout for fires, but all the permanent 

 improvement work, such as the building of roads, trails, and tele- 

 phone lines, has been planned with the specific object in view of mak- 

 ing them of the greatest use in fire protection. In addition to this 

 protective work, the constantly increasing use of the Forests has 

 necessitated the handhng of an immense amount of current business. 

 During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, for example, 830 milhon 

 board feet of timber were sold, and 7,400,000 head of sheep and goats 

 and 1,400,000 head of cattle and horses were grazed on the National 

 Forests. At the same time the Forests resources are used through 

 permits for power development, irrigation, summer residences, 

 hotels, and a great variety of other special uses. 



All of these different fines of work are handled by the regular 

 administrative force, under the immediate direction of the super- 

 visor. From the very beginning an effort has been made to apply 

 the best forestry possible under the given conditions, and the more 

 technical phases of the work have accordingly been handled as far as 

 practicable by the men with a technical education, the forest assist- 

 ants. They have had to perform such duties as mapping and 

 estimating the timber on the Forest, marking the trees to be removed 

 in timber sales, raising stock at nurseries for field planting, and 

 53680°— Cir. 207—12 2 



