The Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history."Forest History Society." Echo Project. Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. http://echo.gmu.edu/node/144 The society was established in 1946 and incorporated in 1955. The Forest History Society headquarters in Durham,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, include the Alvin J. Huss Archives and the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Library, which combine to provide a comprehensive compilation of materials related to the topic of forest history. The archives house large collections from several national organizations and companies such as the Society of American Foresters, the American Forest and Paper Association, the American Forestry Association, the

American Tree Farm System The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) is the largest and oldest woodland certification system in America. It is internationally recognized by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and meets strict third-party certification standa ...

, and the

Weyerhaeuser Company Weyerhaeuser () is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company also manufactures wood products. It operates as a real e ...

as well as many other smaller collections of national and international significance. Additionally, the Forest History Society maintains a publication program, publishing the ''Environmental History'' journal, ''Forest History Today'' magazine, an Issues Series, and environmental and conservation-focused monographs; an education program, to build understanding and appreciation of human interaction with the natural world; and a liaison function between scholars, policymakers, and landowners. The Society also works to promote and reward academic scholarship in the fields of forest, conservation, and environmental history.

History

In 1946, a small group of historians and forest industry executives came together to form an organization dedicated to preserving the documentary forest heritage of North America. The "Forest Products History Foundation" was founded, and began as a program of the Minnesota Historical Society.

Rodney Loehr Rodney Clement Loehr (November 16, 1907 - October 15, 2005) was a historian, university professor, and soldier. He was founding director of the Forest History Society and he retired from the military with the rank of major. Loehr wrote papers and ...

, a member of the history faculty at the University of Minnesota, was appointed as the founding director. Over the following decade, archival source materials were collected, an oral history interview program was created, and a scholarly quarterly journal began publication. In 1955, under second executive director Elwood Rondeau "Woody" Maunder, the Society incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization under the new name "Forest History Foundation." The name was changed to "Forest History Society" four years later in 1959. The organization left Minnesota in 1964, moving first to the

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

campus in 1964, and then to the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1969. Harold K. "Pete" Steen became the Society's third executive director in 1978. In 1984 the Society was moved to its current home in Durham, North Carolina, establishing an affiliation with Duke University and the Nicholas School of the Environment. In 1997 Steven Anderson succeeded Pete Steen, becoming the fourth president of the Society. In 1996, a partnership was formed between the Forest History Society and the American Society for Environmental History. This relationship helped widen the scope of the Society's mission beyond the boundaries of forest and conservation history to include subjects related to the broader field of environmental history. In 2015 the Forest History Society produced the award-winning documentary film America's First Forest: Carl Schenck and the Asheville Experiment about the history and legacy of Carl A. Schenck and the Biltmore Forest School. The Society moved into its current headquarters building in 2019. The 16,750-square-foot facility in Durham, North Carolina, features a large library, archives, exhibit hall, and meeting room space. The building was designed by DTW Architects & Planners and built by CT Wilson Construction Company. The building's structure and interior feature wood products from throughout the United States.

Publications

The Forest History Society publishes a magazine, ''Forest History Today'', and co-publishes the ''Environmental History'' journal with the American Society for Environmental History. A regular Issues Series is also published by the Society on environmental topics of contemporary interest such as fire, wetlands, and forests. Featured books representing important scholarship in the fields of forest, conservation, and environmental history are also published. The Society provides further financial, editorial, and research assistance to other authors publishing books in the subject area of environmental history.

Notable fellows

The honorary title of "Fellow of the Forest History Society" is bestowed on persons who have provided many years of outstanding leadership and service to the Society or many years of outstanding sustained contributions to the research, writing, or teaching of forest, conservation, or environmental history. This honor is the Society's highest award. Notable fellows include: * William Cronon *

Theodore C. Blegen Theodore Christian Blegen (16 July 1891 – 18 July 1969) was an American historian and writer. Blegen was the writer of numerous historic reference books, papers and articles written over a five decade period. His primary areas of focus wer ...

Marion Clawson Robert Marion Clawson (August 10, 1905 – April 12, 1998) was an American agricultural economist. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture from 1929 to 1946. In 1948, he became the second director of the Bureau of Land Managem ...

Emanuel Fritz Emanuel Fritz (1886-1988) was an American forestry specialist. He worked in the field of California forestry for over 70 years. Upon his death, Fritz was the oldest professor in the history of the University of California. Fritz was known as "Mr. R ...

* Tom Gill *

William B. Greeley William Buckhout Greeley (September 6, 1879 – November 30, 1955) was the third chief of the United States Forest Service, a position he held from 1920 to 1928. During World War I he commanded U.S. Army forest engineers in France, providing Alli ...

Stanley Horn Stanley Fitzgerald Horn (May 27, 1889-1980) was a historian, businessman, and editor. He was born at Neely's Bend in Davidson County, Tennessee, USA, on a farm that had been in his family since the eighteenth century.Harris D. Riley Jr."Stanley F ...

* Ralph Hosmer * Dard Hunter *

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Penns ...

Harold T. Pinkett Harold Thomas Pinkett (April 7, 1914 – March 13, 2001) was an African-American archivist and historian. In 1942, he became the first African-American archivist employed at the National Archives of the United States. He was also the first African ...

* Hal Rothman

References

External links

Official website''Forest History Today'' magazine
{{authority control Historical societies of the United States Environmental organizations based in North Carolina Organizations established in 1946 Forestry in the United States Forest history Forestry education Forestry societies Environmental organizations based in the United States 1946 establishments in North Carolina