American Forestry Schools Must Come Out Swinging!

Abstract The author openly raises the question of where jobs are to be found for the large numbers of men now undergoing training in forestry. He throws a provocative challenge to forestry schools to increase the versatility of their graduates. He thoughtfully points out that numerous well-paying opportunities exist in closely related fields that foresters could cultivate to their pecuniary advantage. The scope of forestry is constantly widening and the opportunities enlarging. But to exploit these opportunities foresters will require added skills and competence beyond that afforded in current curricula. The question is: Can schools offer and students absorb usable information in the many fields Vitas would include? Perhaps he would not expect every student to gain competence in all fields. But even to meet this requirement will stretch to the limit the resources of present-day schools. The author and the editor hope this article will evoke serious reappraisal of curricula and employment opportunities.