BY HENRY CLEPPER
ACCORDING to C. H. Guise of Cornell University, who annually compiles statistics on enrollment of students in schools of forestry in the United States of America for the Society of American Foresters, the number of students in 29 professional schools for the academic year 1947/1948 was 7,873. This is an all-time high figure, 30 percent more than the previous peak year of 1937/1938.
That some levelling off in enrollment may be expected is indicated by the registration of freshmen - 2,061 this year as against 3,611 last year. An increase in total enrollment during the next two or three years is unlikely unless additional colleges and universities, not now offering professional courses in forestry, should decide to do so. In this connection it is significant that the Council of the Society of American Foresters at its meeting in Minneapolis on 18 December 1947 recommended that new schools or departments for professional training in forestry should not be established.
The outlook for professional training is somewhat complicated, however, by the new schools of professional caliber that have come into existence since the recent war. Although Professor Guise's statistics on enrollment are based on 29 schools, actually there are now 35 institutions offering training claimed to be of professional status. Most of these new schools have not had graduates as yet, and probably will not have any for another two years.
Twenty-two institutions are now listed as having approved schools, that is, they are accredited for professional forestry by the Council of the Society of American Foresters.
Employment prospects in forestry in the United States during the next two or three years cannot be forecast with accuracy. The Society of American Foresters has no definite figures, other than those which indicate trends. Hence, although no claim is made for the exactness of the following estimates, they may be of interest in permitting a rough comparison between prospective supply and demand.
As nearly as I can estimate, there are now in the United States about 11,000 foresters employed in forestry and in closely allied fields. It should be noted that this figure represents the number of foresters actually employed in forestry after 48 years of professional forestry education in the United States.
Now as nearly as I can estimate employment possibilities, the approximate number of graduates who may be expected to find technical work in forestry during the next two or three years is 1,000, classified as follows:
|
Federal government (all agencies) |
250 |
|
State and municipal government (including highway, game, and park departments) |
300 |
|
Private and industrial |
350 |
|
Miscellaneous (including teaching) |
100 |
The conclusion to be drawn from the foregoing figures is that during the next few years our professional schools will graduate more foresters than needed. This situation exists in nearly all professions. It may not be serious for forestry, provided (1) school enrollment levels off according to demand, and (2) no more new schools are started.
