10 
OFFICE OF THE FORESTER. 
The Forester is the administrative head of the Service, to whom ali 
the offices are responsible. The Associate Forester is his chief assist- 
ant and the administrative head of the Service in the absence of the 
Forester. 
The law officer advises the Service in legal matters, assists in the 
criminal prosecution of offenders against the laws and regulations 
which protect the National Forests and in civil suits to recover dam- 
ages suffered by the United States from trespass committed upon the 
Forests, compiles forest laws, aids applicants in drafting forest legis- 
lation, and deals with other legal questions connected with forests, 
their ownership, taxation, and protection. Within proper limits his 
help and advice are freely open to the public. 
The editor plans the lines along which the Forest Service makes 
known to the public the practical results of its work, answers requests 
for material for publication, and prepares articles upon forestry and 
the work of the Service. 
The work of the dendrologist includes dendrological studies proper, 
direction of the Service’s forest photograph collection, and charge of 
the forest exhibits prepared by the Service. 
A leading branch of the dendrological studies is the making of an 
accurate forest map of the distribution of tree species in the United 
States, to show the extent, composition, and economic possibilities of 
our forest resources. Others of these studies concern the cedar forests 
of Texas, and important but little known trees indigenous to the United 
States, the growth of which may be profitably extended to new local- 
ities for economic purposes. Prominent among the latter are the desert 
pines of California. An investigation is being made of the present 
and probable future supply of western tanbark oak, as well as of other 
trees the barks of which are used to adulterate tanbark, and the 
tannin contents of the barks are being determined by the Bureau of 
Chemistry. Included also is a study of basket willows. Experimen- 
tal holts are established on the Arlington Experimental Farm, near 
Washington, D. C. Attention is given especially to the conditions 
under which high-grade basket rods may be produced. Approved 
basket willow cuttings are distributed free each spring to applicants 
interested in willow culture. 
An improved system of turpentining, introduced by the Service 
among turpentine operators, is described in Bulletin 40 and Circular 
84 of the Forest Service. The system not only conserves the life of 
the trees much more than any previous method, but also gives a 
larger and better yield. Hxperiments now in progress seek still fur- 
ther saving of the trees by reducing the extent and depth of the wound 
[Cir. 36] 
