A Brief History of Forestry Education
and Forestry Collections in the U. S.
The Unanswerable and Unanswered
Questions
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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
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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
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Carl Schenck - Biltmore Forest School -1898
–
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Bernhard Fernow - Cornell - 1898
–
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Technical, master-apprentice concept
Undergraduate academic program
Gifford Pinchot – Yale - 1900
–
Graduate program- scientific management
General Trends in Forestry Education
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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
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liberal arts, technical skills, & specialization
Forestry Schools accredited in 1935
and in 2005
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University of California, Berkeley
University of Idaho
Iowa State University
Michigan State University
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
Montana State University
SUNY- ESF
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
University of Washington
Yale University
1914
1909
1904
1902
1902
1903
1913
1911
1929
1907
1907
1900
Name Changes
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State University of New York
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University of Minnesota (LG)
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1911 New York State College of Forestry
1972 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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)
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1914 Division of Forestry
1946 School of Forestry
1968 School of Forestry and Conservation
1974 College of Natural Resources
Name Changes cont.
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Oregon State University (LG)
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University of Washington
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1896 First Forestry Courses
1908 Department of Forestry
1913 School of Forestry
1984 College of Forestry
1901 Department of Forestry
1907 School of Forestry
1910 College of Forestry
1967 College of Forest Resources
Yale University
–
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1900 Yale Forestry School
1935 School of Forestry
1972 Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Status of Forestry Collections and
Libraries
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University of California, Berkeley
University of Idaho
Iowa State University
Michigan State University
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
Montana State University
SUNY-ESF
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
University of Washington
Yale University
LG
LG
LG
LG
LG
LG
LG
branch merged
main
main
main
science
branch
main
independent
main
science
branch merged
independent
Case Studies
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University of Minnesota
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University of California, Berkeley
University of Minnesota
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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.
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Curricula 1935 (Chapman)
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General Forestry
Commercial Lumbering
Forest Technology
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Pulp and paper
Other Wood products
Grazing
Game Management
Forest Science
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Curricula 1962 (Dana and
Johnson)
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Forest Resources
Management
Building Materials
Management
Forest Products
Engineering
Fish and Wildlife
management in Dept of
Entomology and
Economic Zoology
U. Minnesota, Cont.
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2005 College of Natural Resources
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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
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1898 – small faculty
collection
Departmental Library
for School – 1935
–
–
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.5 staff (students)
900 books, 1400
pamphlets, 16 forestry
periodicals
Full-time Librarian prior
to 1962
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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
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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.
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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
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Curricula 1962 (Dana and
Johnson)
–
Forestry:
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Forest Management
Range Management
Wood Utilization
–
Range Management with
Ag. College.
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Wildlife Conservation in
Dept. of Zoology
U. C. Berkeley, Cont.
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After 1974 College of Natural Resources
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Department of Forestry and Range Management
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Evolved into broader departments
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Forestry
Wood Science and Technology
Pest Management
Soil Resource Management
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
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Ecosystem Science
Insect Biology
Society & Environment
UC Berkeley cont
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2005 Undergraduate Majors in College of Natural
Resources
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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
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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
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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
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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 19341935.
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:
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Forestry in context of a larger whole
(natural resources, environmental science,
ecosystems)
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Multiple curricula with multiple choices
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Totally integrated curricula
(new sub-divisions and disciplines)
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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.