THE TRAINING OF A FORESTER
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THE TRAINING OF A FORESTER
BY
GIFFORD PINCHOT
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
1914
COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 1914
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
To
OVERTON W. PRICE
Friend and Fellow Worker
TO WHOM IS DUE, MORE THAN TO ANY OTHER MAN, THE
HIGH EFFICIENCY OF THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE
PREFACE
At one time or another, the largest question before every young man is,"What shall I do with my life?" Among the possible openings, which bestsuits his ambition, his tastes, and his capacities? Along what lineshall he undertake to make a successful career? The search for a lifework and the choice of one is surely as important business as can occupya boy verging into manhood. It is to help in the decision of those whoare considering forestry as a profession that this little book has beenwritten.
To the young man who is attracted to forestry and begins to consider itas a possible profession, certain questions present themselves. What isforestry? If he takes it up, what will his work be, and where? Does itin fact offer the satisfying type of outdoor life which it appears to[Pg 6]offer? What chance does it present for a successful career, for a careerof genuine usefulness, and what is the chance to make a living? Is hefitted for it in character, mind, and body? If so, what training does heneed? These questions deserve an answer.
To the men whom it really suits, forestry offers a career moreattractive, it may be said in all fairness, than any other careerwhatsoever. I doubt if any other profession can show a membership souniformly and enthusiastically in love with the work. The men who havetaken it up, practised it, and left it for other work are few. But tothe man not fully adapted for it, forestry must be punishment, pure andsimple. Those who have begun the study of forestry, and then havelearned that it was not for them, have doubtless been more in numberthan those who have followed it through.