336 



FORESTRY IN THE STATES. 



control of forest fires ; preparation of forestry leaflets and other 

 matter for publication. 



The system of field study, referred to above, is briefly out- 

 lined as follows; Three or 4 men are assigned to work in as 

 many adjoining counties, each working separately but under 

 supervision first, of the State Forester, who has general charge 

 of field and office work, and second, under an experienced field 

 chief who devotes his time among the field assistants. The as- 

 sistants traverse all the principal roads with horse and buggy 

 (or on horseback in very rough sections) and each is further 

 equipped with mounted and folded county map, a rule for scal- 

 ing distances, an odometer for checking short distances, an 

 angle mirror, a pair of calipers, a height measure, and a 50-foot 

 metallic tape. With this equipment and a little experience the 

 assistants are enabled to classify rapidly and with fair accuracy 

 the kinds and stand of timber on wooded areas. Two main 

 divisions of timber are considered separately, — the hardwoods 

 and the conifers. Both hardwoods and softwoods are divided 

 into the merchantable class, the culled class and the sapling 

 class. The merchantable hardwoods are subdivided into 3 

 divisions according to the stand per acre, and the same is done 

 in the case of cuUed hardwoods. In order to obtain a basis for 

 the calculation of timber stands and as a means of checking up 

 ocular estimates a large number of sample plots, each contain- 

 ing one-tenth of an acre, are selected in wooded areas repre- 

 senting the various classes to be studied and careful estimates 

 made of the quantity of timber, etc. The field chief, in addition 

 to his work of assisting in taking the sample plots and over- 

 seeing the field work, collects such other data as will be valuable 

 in the preparation of detailed county reports. Frequent reports 

 are made to the main office where the State Forester is prepar- 

 ing maps for publication, tabulating data for county reports, 

 and calculating timber stands on sample plots. 



Only 2 colors are used qn the forest maps, — red for hard- 

 woods and green for conifers. By means of solid colors and 

 horizontal and oblique lines, it is possible to represent a great 

 variety of types and classes. The cost of the field study has not 

 exceeded 54 cents per square mile. 



Below is a statement showing the progress of forestry in 



