FORESTRY TECHNOLOGY - ANNUAL REPORT
July 1968
This report will summarize the first two years of operation of the Forestry

Technology program.

I.

STUDENTS
In the fall of 1966, thirty-nine students enrolled in the Forestry Technology program. Of these, 14 were on a complete first year program with
the remaining 25, mostly graduates on the old general program, taking a
partial first year while catching up on basic mathematics. At the end
of the first year (April 1967), 12 of the original 14 remained on the
complete program. Ten of these students qualified to go on into second
year. Fifteen of the 25 on a partial first year remained and only 8 of
these students qualified to continue in the program.
In September, 1967 ten students registered in second year but three of
these were carrying one first year subject. Eight students registered
in a partial second year while picking up first year subjects not taken.
Twenty students enrolled in first year and ten students applying to enter forestry technology were admitted to the pretechnology program.

In May 1968 five students graduated from the forestry program. Seven
students should have been eligible but 2 did poorly during the year.
Seven of the students doing a partial second year remained and 5 or 6
of these are eligible to come back in the fall of 1968 to complete the
program and graduate next spring. Seventeen students remained in first
year with 12 or 13 qualifying to go on to second year.
Summer employment opportunities in the summer of 1967 were not good with
only one-half of our students obtai.ning employment in forestry jobs.
Thie year the summer employment picture is much better with almost all
of our students placed in some type of forestry or related summer employment. All of our graduates, and those who should have graduated but
didn't (including two females) have obtained permanent empl~ent in
forestry. Salaries for graduates average about $460.00 per month.
II. COURSES
Course organization, descriptions, mark statistics, etc., have been
reported to the Dean of Studies.
Two forestry courses will be added to the first year curriculum in the
coming year. The courses, in Forest Entomology and Forest Pathology
are essential to the forestry program. A course in Wildlife Management
will be offered by the Biology Department in the fall of 1968. This
course is primarily for second year Forestry students and should make
our gr~duatee more marketable in several employment areas.
III. FACILITIES
The first year of operation was carried out with no laboratory facilities
for Forestry Technology. This did not prove to be a serious problem although there was no convenient place for use and storage of equipment.

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A classroom was converted into a laboratory for Forestry Technology in
the summer of 1967. This laboratory was essential for many of our second year courses but unfortunately we could not equip it last year so
that it was not used to its best advantage.. Several second year courses
were done last year with insufficient laboratory work.
Our experience during these two years has shown that attempts should be
made to overcome the following deficiencies in facilities for Forestry
Technology:
1.

Lacie of a forest area which we own and on which we

can do as we please. We can "make don with carrying
out some exercises on crown and private lands. This
is a serious restriction because many of the activities and exercises which we should be demonstrating
or which the students should be carrying out may
bring about minor changes in landscape or vegetative
cover - not popular on private or crown land.
2.

Greenhouse space. Some space in a greenhouse is
necessary for growing and keeping live botanical
material during the winter.

3.

Lack of equipment and supplies for work in soil
science.

4.

Shortages of sufficient equipment to cover all the
necessary aspects of photogrammetry.

5.

Shortages of equipment in surveying and mensuration.

6.

Desk Calculators - so far our students have had virtually no instruction or practice in the use of desk
calculators.

1.

Transportation for weekly field exercises and field
trips. We have been renting busses which are very
unsatisfactory because they are very slow, cumbersome, and expensive. Rental of a small van for our
spring field proved more satisfacotry for a small
number of students. We should consider leasing on
a monthly basis, transportation for 15-20 students.
This could be used by the Biology Department, and
the other technologies for field trips as well as by
the Forestry Technology.

Items 3, 4, 5, and 6 are being overcome to some extent in preparation for
the 1968 Fall Term.

IV. LIBRARY
Approximately 150 volumes are being added to the library holdings for
Forestry Technology this year. This will bring us up to about 210 books
on various aspects of forestry and its related fields. A. study in the

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United States suggests an initial library of 200-300 volumes to support
a Forestry Technology program. This year's additions should bring our
library up to a good standard.

V.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Advisory Committee has been virtually inactive in a formal sense
since the initial meetings in 1966. Frequent discussions have been held
with most members of the original committee on occasions other than formal meetings though and these have been very helpful in the areas of
employment courses and course content. Because of these info:rmed contacts
the calling of special meetings did not seem necessary. It would be advisable to reconstruct the Advisory Committee on a different basis particularly with the inclusion of re-presentatives from outside the region
and from. other disciplines - to guide the development of other ForestryResource Management training in tbe future. Thiss of course,. will depend
what develops in the area of the Resource Management Institute idea and
what its relationships are with the Forestry Technology Program as it now

..

exists.

VI.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Forestry Technology program will be in much better shape by the beginning of the 1968-69 academic year. Our main difficulties have been
with equipment and space deficiencies. These problems are being partially
alleviated at present. Our facilities should be adequate to ~andle 20
students per year in first year with a retention of 60 per cent. If there
is to be any increase in enrollment in Forestry Technology or if the retention rate in second year should increase, we will require addition.al
staff~ partial use of a second laboratory, more storage space and more
equipmant.
The question of an increase in enrollment will have .to be studied and a
decision made before "by-law time". At present, it does not appear that
it would be wise to increase our enrollment for a few years - i.e., until
employer acceptance and a reputation has been established and the forest
industries get out of their present slump.

John L. Adams
Chairman
Forestry Technology