44 IR. 211, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
are represented the investigative activities relating to 
forest management and protection, forest products, 
forest economics, and range research. 
FOREST-MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION 
INVESTIGATIONS 
The purpose of research in forest management is to 
discover for the many varied and diverse forest types 
and forest soils of the country, the basic facts upon 
which the proper management and protection of forest 
lands for the production of timber and related prod- 
ucts can be established. Such research is intended to 
furnish the owner of timberland, whether farmer or 
lumberman, State or Federal Government, informa- 
tion wherewith forest lands can be brought to the 
point of producing the highest returns. The field is 
broad. Such diverse subjects are studied as seed 
production and germination, nursery and planting 
practice, and sprout and seedling growth. Intensive 
studies are made of thinning practices, of rate of 
growth of trees and stands at different ages, and of 
the various methods of harvesting the forest to obtain 
natural reproduction of desirable species. Closely 
associated with forest-management research is the 
endeavor to find effective means of protecting the 
forests from fire and of Suppressing the fires that 
start. Other important lines of investigation are the 
study of flood and erosion control by forestry meas-. 
ures and the climatic and recreational benefits which 
properly managed forests may provide. In short, 
forest-management research covers all phases of for- 
est growth and forest protection, from the seed and 
bare land to the full-grown tree and the mature forest 
ready for harvesting for the use of mankind. 
FOREST PRODUCTS 
It is just as important to know what to grow as 
how to grow it, and just as important to make the 
most of what is produced as to make the forests pro- 
duce more material for consumption. The investiga- 
tions in forest products ‘closely interlock with those 
