Forestry Research in Great Britain

Abstract

THE correspondence in NATURE and the leading article on “Forestry Research in Great Britain” in the issue for May 16 lay stress on certain points which need to be emphasised. It appears, however, that an even wider view of the problems must be taken if we are to make the most of our opportunities and of our obligations. Every schoolboy knows about the struggle for existence, the survival of the fittest, and similar phrases, but it is rare to meet a forester who has been trained to pay attention to the analysis of the factors as they occur either in natural woodlands or in plantations. This is not surprising, for intensive research in fundamental problems has rbeen almost completely neglected in Great Britain.