A Brief History of Forestry Education and Forestry Collections in the U. S.

The Unanswerable and Unanswered Questions

What is forestry? What should a forester know? What should a forestry education include?

“There has never been a time when foresters were free from doubt about themselves, their education or their mission.” (Miller & Lewis, 1989)

Influences on Forestry Education

Morrill Act establishing Land Grant Colleges “Timber Famine” Society of American Forester’s Accreditation

Standards Employer needs Regional politics and issues College and University structures

Early Schools

Carl Schenck - Biltmore Forest School -1898– Technical, master-apprentice concept

Bernhard Fernow - Cornell - 1898– Undergraduate academic program

Gifford Pinchot – Yale - 1900– Graduate program- scientific management

General Trends in Forestry Education

1935 - curricula based on forest and timber management and utilization

1962 - curricula not much changed 1970’s - consolidation of programs and name

changes 1990’s – integration of disciplines

liberal arts, technical skills, & specialization

Forestry Schools accredited in 1935 and in 2005

University of California, Berkeley 1914 University of Idaho 1909 Iowa State University 1904 Michigan State University 1902 University of Michigan 1902 University of Minnesota 1903 Montana State University 1913 SUNY- ESF 1911 Oregon State University 1929 Pennsylvania State University 1907 University of Washington 1907 Yale University 1900

Name Changes

State University of New York– 1911 New York State College of Forestry– 1972 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

University of Minnesota (LG)– 1910 College of Forestry– 1912 College of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics– 1962 School of Forestry– 1970 College of Forestry– 1988 College of Natural Resources– 2005 merging with College of Agricultural Food and Environmental Sciences

California, Berkeley (LG)– 1914 Division of Forestry– 1946 School of Forestry– 1968 School of Forestry and Conservation– 1974 College of Natural Resources

Name Changes cont.

Oregon State University (LG)– 1896 First Forestry Courses – 1908 Department of Forestry– 1913 School of Forestry– 1984 College of Forestry

University of Washington– 1901 Department of Forestry– 1907 School of Forestry– 1910 College of Forestry– 1967 College of Forest Resources

Yale University– 1900 Yale Forestry School– 1935 School of Forestry– 1972 Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Status of Forestry Collections and Libraries

University of California, Berkeley LG branch merged University of Idaho main Iowa State University LG main Michigan State University LG main University of Michigan science University of Minnesota LG branch Montana State University LG main SUNY-ESF independent Oregon State University LG main Pennsylvania State University LG science University of Washington branch merged Yale University independent

Case Studies

University of Minnesota

University of California, Berkeley

University of Minnesota

Land Grant University 1889 Forestry courses—School of Agriculture 1906 Forestry separates from Agriculture 1908 Division of Forestry 1949 School of Forestry 1970 College of Forestry 1988 College of Natural Resources 2005 Merger with College of Agricultural, Food and

Environmental Sciences

U. Minnesota, Cont.

Curricula 1935 (Chapman)– General Forestry– Commercial Lumbering– Forest Technology

Pulp and paper Other Wood products

– Grazing– Game Management– Forest Science

Curricula 1962 (Dana and Johnson)

– Forest Resources Management

– Building Materials Management

– Forest Products Engineering

– Fish and Wildlife management in Dept of Entomology and Economic Zoology

U. Minnesota, Cont.

2005 College of Natural Resources– Department of Bio-Based Products (formerly

Wood and Paper Science)– Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology– Forest Resources– Environment and Natural Resources– Recreation Resource Management– Urban and Community Forestry

U Minnesota Forestry Library

1898 – small faculty collection

Departmental Library for School – 1935

– .5 staff (students)– 900 books, 1400

pamphlets, 16 forestry periodicals

Full-time Librarian prior to 1962

2005 Branch Library of University of Minnesota Libraries Twin Cities

Supports five of six curricula in CNR

Supports U.S. Forest Service North Central Research Station

Services state-wide

University of California, Berkeley

1873 Efforts began for a forestry program. 1914 Division of Forestry in College of Agriculture 1946 School of Forestry 1968 School of Forestry and Conservation 1974 College of Natural Resources – SFC merged

with College of Agriculture 1993 Consolidation of Departments within CNR

UC Berkeley, Cont.

Curricula 1935 (Chapman)– Forest economics, forest

ecology, range management, wood technology, forest products and lumbering, forest engineering, silviculture, forest protection, forest menseration, and forest management

Curricula 1962 (Dana and Johnson)

– Forestry: Forest Management Range Management Wood Utilization

– Range Management with Ag. College.

– Wildlife Conservation in Dept. of Zoology

U. C. Berkeley, Cont.

After 1974 College of Natural Resources– Department of Forestry and Range Management

Forestry Wood Science and Technology Pest Management Soil Resource Management

Evolved into broader departments– Conservation and Resources Studies, Etymological Sciences, Forestry and

Resource Management, Plant Pathology and Soil Science. After 1993 Mergers

– Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management Ecosystem Science Insect Biology Society & Environment

UC Berkeley cont

2005 Undergraduate Majors in College of Natural Resources

– Conservation and Resources Studies– Environmental Economics and Policy– Environmental Sciences– Forestry and Natural Resources– Genetics and Plant Biology– Microbial Biology– Molecular Environmental Biology– Molecular, Toxicology and Nutritional Sciences

UC Berkeley Forestry Libraries

1915 Reading Room Both Departmental Library

and Univ. Lib. 1935 First Professional

Librarian – Budget

$968 salaries $725 materials

– Collection 2400 books 7100 pamphlets 72 forestry periodicals

1943 Collection– 1000 volumes– 7000 pamphlets

1948 University Branch– Materials from main library

returned 1964 Collection

– 17,000 volumes– 15,000 pamphlets

1988 Collection (with FPL)– 39,000 volumes– 1400 Serials

1990 Full-time Librarian retired 1995 Merged into Biosciences

and Natural Resources Library

Significant Publications in Forest Education

Graves, Henry S. and Cedric H. Guise 1932. Forest Education Chapman, H.H. 1935. Professional Forestry Schools Report,

giving the comparative status of those institutions that offered instruction in Professional Forestry for the School Year 1934-1935.

Dana, Samuel Trask and Evert W. Johnson. 1963. Forestry Education in America Today and Tomorrow.

The Literature of Forestry and Agroforestry 1996. eds: Peter McDonald and James Lassoie.

Sample, V. Alaric, et. al. 2000. The Evolution of Forestry Education in the United States: Adapting to the Changing Demands of Professional Forestry

1995 Program Trends (Sample 2000)

Four types of programs: Forestry in context of a larger whole

(natural resources, environmental science, ecosystems)

Multiple curricula with multiple choices Totally integrated curricula

(new sub-divisions and disciplines) New required courses in traditional programs

Some tentative conclusions

Growth of forestry within agriculture, sometime restricts its importance; forests seen as ‘crops’

Accreditation standards have failed to accommodate new integrative ideas, in recognition of interdisciplinary aspects.

“Forestry” as a term has not been able to expand into new meanings.

Stereotypes have developed.Forestry has become a ‘hidden discipline’ which may

affect structure of educational programs and libraries.