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College of Forestry Records, 1911-1997

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State University. College of Forestry.
Title
College of Forestry Records
Dates
1911-1997 (inclusive)
Quantity
13 cubic ft.
45 microfilm reels
Collection Number
RG 139
Summary
The Coillege of Forestry Records were generated and assembled by the College of Forestry and document the development and administration of the College; the research activities of the faculty; acquisition and management of forest properties for research; and interaction with other forestry schools and associations.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The first forestry class was taught at OSU in 1896. Ten years later, the first four year degree program in Forestry was established. Forestry was elevated to school status in 1913, with George Peavy as its first dean, and became a college in 1984. Graduate work was authorized in 1921; the Ph.D. program began in 1959. The Deans of the College have included: George Peavy (1910-1940), Earl G. Mason (1936- 1942), Paul M. Dunn (1942-1955), Walter McCulloch (1955- 1966), Carl H. Stoltenberg (1967-1990), George W. Brown 1990-2000), and Hal Salwasser (2000-). Several departments have been formed within the College to address specific areas in forestry. These departments are: Forest Engineering, Forest Management, Forest Products, Forest Resources, Forest Science, and Resource Recreation Management.

Forest research in Oregon was bolstered by the 1947 passage of the Timber Harvest Tax. In 1953 the Legislature established the Forest Protection and Conservation Committee "to supervise and control forest lands and products research activities." It was composed of four members of the State Board of Forestry and one public member. Rudy Kallander was appointed administrator. In 1957, the committee and its research activities moved from the Industrial Building to new quarters, the Oregon Forest Research Center, located on the southwest edge of the OSC campus. On July 1, 1961, the Committee was absorbed by OSU; the Forest Research Center was renamed the Forest Research Laboratory. Kallander continued as administrator; he remained with the lab until his retirement in 1978. In 1999, Richardson Hall, a forestry research and teaching facility, was built. The building was named in honor of Kaye Richardson, who donated $23.7 million toward the construction.

Beginning in 1926, the College has acquired and managed a number of forest properties for the purpose of research and instruction. The largest and oldest of these tracts of land is the McDonald/Dunn Research Forest which was purchased with funds donated by Mary McDonald and currently consists of 11,000 acres. The forest resides to the west of Highway 99 just to the north of Corvallis. Other research forests administered by the College include the Blodgett Tract, the Elizabeth Starker Cameron Demonstration Forest, and the Marchel Tract.

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Content Description

Subgroup 1, Forest History, Series I pertains to the Prospect Tract, a gift of forest land to OSU from Mary McDonald, and includes contracts, correspondence, reports, maps, and newspaper clippings. Reports from the Oregon State Board of Forestry relating to land resource conservation and development planning after World War constitute series II. Series III documents the negotiation of a road use and right-of-way agreement through the Elliot State Forest and consists of maps, contracts, and reports. The reports contain data on the "merchantable" quality of the tract stands as well as cruise information for the harvesting of the trees.

Subgroup 2 consists of records generated and maintained by the Dean's Office. Series I primarily relates to the general administration of the College, covering topics such as accreditation, curriculum development and instruction, program planning, research, department reviews, building management, and foundation funding for research. There is also documentation of the College's interaction between various forestry associations and forestry-related government agencies at the state and federal level. This series includes correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, publications, and reports.

The historical files in Series II document various administrative and budgetary processes, including the acquisition and management of McDonald Forest lands, timber sales on college lands, administration of scholarships and fellowships, research project administration, and the collection and tracking of data on forestry alumni. Also reflected in this series is interaction between the college and various forestry associations, lumber companies, and forestry-oriented government agencies. Materials in this series include biennial reports, contract records, correspondence, maps, meeting minutes, and publications.

Series III documents the administration and history of the McDonald and Dunn Research Forests as well as the military base (Camp Adair) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp (Camp Arboretum) which once resided on the properties. Consisting of correspondence, cruise data, maps, and timber sale contracts, this series also contains a Master's thesis on the history of Camp Arboretum. The annual instructional reports in series IV contain information organized by fiscal year on coursework offered by the college as well as faculty teaching loads and budgetary expenditures.

Series V pertains primarily to the publication of a book on the 75th Anniversary of the college and contains correspondence, a commemorative medallion, newspaper clippings, and a copy of the publication 75 Years of Continuing Progress in Forestry Education. Records from the Annual Fernhopper Banquet of the year of the anniversary are also included. The biographical files in Series VI contain information on College of Forestry faculty and include article reprints, correspondence, curriculum vitae, newspaper clippings, personnel records, press releases, and publications. The publications consist of textbooks written by OSU faculty for forestry classes and commemorative booklets.

Subgroup 3 pertains to the interests and activities of George Barnes, Professor of Forest Management (1943-1967) and Assistant Director of the Forest Research Division of the Agricultural Experiment Station (1959-1967). Primarily consisting of records generated by the Forest Protection and Conservation Committee as well as other state level forestry committees, this subgroup contains correspondence, meeting minutes, research project agreements and outlines, and reports.

Subgroup 4 documents the administration and activities of the Forest Research Laboratory, the College's applied research facility, and its predecessor, the state Forest Protection and Conservation Committee. Series I contains records generated by the Forest Protection and Conservation Committee and includes correspondence, meeting minutes, publications, and reports. The General Files in Series II primarily document the administration of the Forest Research Laboratory and pertains to the McIntire-Stennis Program with the U.S.D.A. Cooperative State Research Service, research project administration, and interaction between various forestry associations and lumber companies. Among the materials in this series are correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports. Series III consists primarily of meeting minutes and agendas from the Forest Products Research Advisory Committee. Annual and biennial reports documenting College of Forestry faculty research projects as well as budgetary information and cooperative research programs constitute Series IV.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

College of Forestry Records (RG 139), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The College of Forestry records are organized into four subgroups. Subgroup 1, Forest History, contains three series: I. Prospect Tract File; II. Pacific Northwest Regional Committee on Post-War Programs; and III. Eliot State Forest. Subgroup 2, Office of the Dean, is organized into seven series: I. Correspondence and General Files; II. Historical File; III. Research Forests; IV. Instructional Reports; V. 75th Anniversary Materials; VI. Biographical Files; and VII. Publications. Subgroup 3 pertains to the interests and activities of George Barnes, Professor of Forest Management (1943-1967) and Assistant Director of the Forest Research Division of the Agricultural Experiment Station (1959-1967). Subgroup 4, Forest Research Laboratory, consists of four series: I. Forest Protection and Conservation Committee General Files; II. Forest Research Laboratory General Files; III. Forest Products Research Advisory Committee Records; and IV. Forest Research Laboratory Annual and Biennial Reports.

Related Materials

In addition to records generated by the College of Forestry, the OSU Archives also has documentation from a department within the college, faculty/staff, alumni, forestry-related student organizations, forestry enthusiasts, and timber companies.

Photographic images taken by College of Forestry faculty and staff are available in the OSU Archives. Publications documenting faculty research, student activities, alumni outreach, and history of the College of Forestry can also be found in the holdings. Forest Products Department Records (RG 3) include materials pertaining to that academic department as well as records of the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory. Materials relating to the forestry extension programs are available in the Forestry Extension Records (RG 103).

Collections from College of Forestry faculty and staff include the papers of Deans George W. Peavy, Paul M. Dunn, and Walter F. McCulloch. Other faculty and staff members represented in the holdings include: Thurman James (T. J.) Starker, Tony Van Vliet, Royal Jackson, Leif Espenas, S.E. Corder, Robert D. Graham, Douglas W. Glennie, James W. Johnson, George Atherton, and Harry Ira Nettleton.

Records from College of Forestry alumni include materials from Gustaf Wilhelm Hult, Les Lloyd, and Bob Zybach. Documentation of forestry-related student organizations can be found in the records of the Xi Sigma Pi Forestry Honorary Society and the Forestry Club which are in RG 39.

Other forestry related materials in the Archives include records from organizations, lumber companies, and enthusiasts. These collections include: Wright-Blodgett Company Records, Keep Oregon Green Association Records, Jackson F. Kimball Collection, and the Oliver Matthews Collection.

Documentation relating to the spotted owl controversy of the late 1980s and early 1990s and its effect upon Oregon forestry can be found in the Spotted Owl Management, Policy and Research Collection

The Soap Creek Valley History Project oral histories provide information about the area in and surrounding the McDonald and Paul Dunn Forests.

Records of the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory and its advisory committees are also held by the State Archives of Oregon as a part of the records of the State Department of Forestry.

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Detailed Description of the Collection


2003

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