FIELD WORK IN FORESTRY

Assistant Professor R. T. Fisher '98, of the Department of Forestry, spoke before the Forestry Club last night on "Reminiscences of Field Work in the Forest Service." In 1899 Professor Fisher was commissioned to do some exploration work in the forests of Washington. The task consisted in making a trail into sparsely settled country which was supposed to have timber-land suitable for a national forest, climbing all the mountains that offered points of advantage for making rough maps of the surrounding territory, and plotting out the general topography on a township map.

In 1901, Professor Fisher made a second expedition, this time to the head waters of the south fork of the Trinity River, in northern California. On this trip, the only guide the foresters had was a township map which they had brought from headquarters in San Francisco, and which was subsequently found to be totally inaccurate and unreliable.

In concluding, Professor Fisher explained that the nature of forestry had changed in the last two years. Formerly, it was a public affair; investigations were carried on by the government, by states and universities. Now it is connected chiefly with private claims. The greatest opportunities for the man with technical knowledge of forestry lie in the increasing employment which is offered by private lumber companies.