Denis P. Lavender earned his MS (1958) and Ph.D. (1962) degrees in forestry at Oregon State University and was a faculty member in forest science until 1984. After leaving Oregon State in 1984, he served as head of the Forest Science Department at the University of British Columbia until his retirement in 1992, when he returned to Oregon State as a Professor Emeritus in Forest Ecosystems and Society. Lavender's association with Oregon State dates from 1950 when he began working for the Oregon Forest Research Center, which later became the Forest Research Laboratory. Lavender's research focused on Douglas-fir as well as white spruce and lodge-pole pine. He developed a methodology for storing and planting seedlings that increased conifer survival rate by 20 percent. His findings enabled reforestation of the Tillamook Burn 10 years earlier than originally estimated. While in Canada, Lavender and several colleagues established the Silvicultural Institute of British Columbia (now known as the Forest Management Institute of British Columbia).
The Denis P. Lavender Papers document the research activities and publications of Lavender, an Oregon State University Forest Science professor and alumnus. The Papers include article reprints, conference proceedings, correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes, photographs, presentation materials, reports, research data, and theses. The collection reflects Lavender's work at Oregon State University (1950-1984)and the University of British Columbia (1985-1992), especially his research on the storage and planting of Douglas-fir, white spruce and lodge-pole pine seedlings. Lavender's role in the establishment of the Silvicultural Institute of British Columbia is documented.
The bulk of the collection is comprised of reference materials. These consist of article reprints and publications by other researchers, conference proceedings, correspondence, and notes -- all of which were arranged by Lavender into topics such as root growth, seedling storage, prescribed burning, flowering, and the possible impacts of global warming (climate change) on conifer forests. About 300 color slides include text and images prepared and assembled for presentations.
Collection is open for research.
Denis P. Lavender Papers, Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
The Lavender Papers were received by the Special Collections & Archives Research Center in 2012.
This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.
Preliminary container
list available
The Special Collections & Archives Research Center includes extensive and substantive collections documenting forestry research in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest including the