United States Department of Agriculture FACES FROM THE PAST Profiles of Those Who Led Restoration of the South’s Forests James P. Barnett AUTHOR James P. Barnett, Retired Chief Silviculturist and Emeritus Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Pineville, LA, 71360. PHOTO CREDITS Cover: The cover photo was taken at the Roberts plots near Urania, LA, in April 1940. These plots, established in 1913, were used to study the effects of prescribed burning on longleaf pine growth and development. From left: H.H. Chapman of Yale University; U.S. Forest Service scientists C. Allen Bickford, H.H. Muntz, G.W. Trayer, Clarence L. Forsling, Roy A. Chapman, T.R. Truax, John Curry and J.M. Hughes; and Lloyd Blackwell, who became the Head of Louisiana Tech University’s Department of Forestry. Unless otherwise noted, the photographs were from collections of the U.S. Forest Service, the Louisiana Forestry Commission (now Louisiana Office of Forestry), and the Louisiana Forestry Association. These organizations have extensive photo collections and many of the early photographs were interchanged between organizations so that the identity of many of the original photographers has been lost. Professional photographers Elemore Morgan and Tommy Kohara took many of these photographs. Sources for others are identified with the photograph. DISCLAIMER The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. PESTICIDE PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT This publication reports research involving pesticides. It does not contain recommendations for their use, nor does it imply that the uses discussed here have been registered. All uses of pesticides must be registered by appropriate State and Federal agencies before they can be recommended. caution: Pesticides can be injurious to humans, domestic animals, desirable plants, and fish or other wildlife—if they are not handled or applied properly. Use all pesticides selectively and carefully. Follow recommended practices for the disposal of surplus pesticides and pesticide containers. First printed January 2011 Slightly revised, redesigned, and reprinted May 2016 Forest Service Research & Development Southern Research Station General Technical Report SRS-133 Southern Research Station 200 W.T. Weaver Blvd. Asheville, NC 28804 www.srs.fs.usda.gov FACES FROM THE PAST Profiles of Those Who Led Restoration of the South’s Forests James P. Barnett Abstract Early in the 20th century, the forests in the South were devastated by aggressive harvesting and many millions of acres of forest land needed reforestation. Foresighted individuals began a committed effort to restore this land to a productive condition. This effort required dedication, cooperation, and leadership. A small cadre of individuals led the restoration of the South’s forests that became the basis of the South’s economy. Many of these individuals are profiled in this document. Keywords: History of forestry research, research scientists, restoration of southern forests, significance of forestry to the South, southern pines. how to cite this publication: Barnett, James P. 2011. Faces from the past: profiles of those who led restoration of the South’s forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS- 133. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, 117 p. Contents viii Preface 1 Introduction 2 Naval Stores 4 The Great Harvest of Pine Forests 6 The South’s Devastated Forests 8 Growing Interest in Management and Reforestation 11 Individuals who led Restoration of the South’s Forests 11 The Coming of Forestry to the South 12 Father of Forestry in the South 12 Henry E. Hardtner 14 Early “Transient” Foresters in the South 15 William W. Ashe 16 Wilbur R. (Matty) Mattoon 17 Austin Cary 19 Reforestation Pioneer 19 Philip C. (Phil) Wakeley 21 Pioneer Nursery Specialist and Silviculturist Extraordinaire 21 F.O. (Red) Bateman 23 The Nation’s First Industrial Forester? 23 J.T. (Jake) Johnson 25 The First Forest Survey of the South 25 Inman F. (Cap) Eldredge 27 Philip R. (Phil) Wheeler 29 Administration 29 Great Southern Lumber Company 29 William H. (Col. Bill) Sullivan 31 Southern Forest Experiment Station 32 Reginald D. (Reggie) Forbes 33 Elwood L. (Demmie) Demmon 35 Kisatchie National Forest’s Longest Serving Supervisor 35 Hugh S. Redding 37 Legendary Ranger of Winn Ranger District 37 George M. Tannehill, Jr. Contents 39 Louisiana Forestry Commission 39 Victor Hugo Sonderegger 42 James E. (Jim) Mixon 44 Hans Enghardt 46 Louisiana Forestry Association 46 J.H. (Jim) Kitchens, Jr. 48 Charles H. (Charlie) Lewis, Jr. 50 Forest Management 50 Uneven-aged Pine Management 50 Russell R. (Russ) Reynolds 52 Even-aged Pine Silviculture 52 William F. (Bill) Mann, Jr. 54 Direct Seeding 54 Harold J. Derr 57 Statistics and Mensurational Techniques 57 Roy A. Chapman 58 Frank Freese 59 Lewis R. (Lew) Grosenbaugh 61 Control of Upland Hardwoods 61 Fred A. Peevy 63 Hardwood Management 63 John A. (Put) Putnam 65 Forest Seed Production 65 Howell C. Cobb 67 Consulting Forestry 67 Leslie K. (Les) Pomeroy 69 Zebulon W. (Zeb) White 71 Education 71 Biltmore Forest School 71 Carl A. Schenck 73 Teacher, Artist, Conservationist, and “Mother of the Kisatchie National Forest” 73 Caroline C. Dormon 75 Yale University Forestry Training at Urania 75 H.H. (Chappy) Chapman 78 Louisiana State University School of Forestry 78 Major J.G. Lee, Sr. 79 Ralph W. Hayes 80 A. Bigler Crow Contents 82 Louisiana Tech University 82 Lloyd P. (Black) Blackwell 83 University of Arkansas at Monticello 83 Henry H. (Hank) Chamberlin 85 Forest Products 85 Mr. Pulp and Paper of the South 85 Charles H. Herty 87 Control of Blue-Stain Fungus 87 Ralph M. (Lindy) Lindgren 89 Timber Harvesting 89 Albert E. (Wack) Wackerman 90 Premier Wood Scientist 90 Peter Koch 93 Forest Resources 93 Soil Erosion and Flood Control 93 H.G. (Mac) Meginnis 95 Prescribed Fire 95 H.H. (Chappy) Chapman 97 Wildlife Conservation 97 Bryant A. Bateman 99 Claude H. (Grits) Gresham 101 Forest Pathology 101 George H. Hepting 103 Tree Improvement and Genetics 103 Philip C. (Phil) Wakeley 105 Bruce J. Zobel 107 Photography and History 107 Forestry Photography 108 Tommy T. Kohara 109 Elemore Morgan, Sr. 111 Forestry History 111 Edward F. (Ed) Kerr, Sr. 112 Anna C. Burns 114 Conclusions 116 Acknowledgments 117 Literature Cited viii Faces from the Past: Profiles of Those Who Led Restoration of the South’s Forests Preface When Europeans arrived on the shores of America, they encountered extensive forests that provided both a needed resource and a hindrance to establishing farm land critical for their existence. The forests provided materials for export as well as to build homes and cities. Initially, this resource was used slowly, but as the population increased timber near bays and rivers was harvested and shipped widely to meet an array of timber related needs. Clearing of forests for crop production occurred throughout the southeastern Coastal Plain and Piedmont from the colonial period until the beginning of the Civil War (Williams 1989). In Virginia alone, more than 25 million acres, nearly one-half of the total land area, had been cleared by 1860. Soil erosion became a major problem. Declining soil productivity caused large amounts of agricultural land to be abandoned throughout the South by the end of the Civil War (Fox and others 2007). After the Civil War, the South’s economy was in shambles and forested land was inexpensive. This provided an opportunity for northern industrialists to purchase timber and labor to operate sawmills. Although this massive harvest of the South’s virgin forests resulted in deforestation throughout the region, it did provide the economic basis for recovery of the South. The development of railroads throughout the country made a rapid movement of the population into the Great Plains and West feasible with a great need for building materials. Also, newly developed railroads and steam powered logging and milling equipment provided the technology to quickly harvest and mill tremendous quantities of timber. These efforts focused on the western portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain where virgin pine forests had remained largely untouched. Wakeley (1954) stated that there were 13 million acres of forest land in need of planting. Later, Wahlenberg (1960) estimated that 29 million acres needing planting. These conditions resulted from abusive agricultural practices that degraded soil productivity, coupled with exploitative timber harvesting without provision for regeneration. Deforestation has occurred frequently since the beginning of civilization. There are many examples of resulting devastations to the climate, loss of fuel for cooking, massive soil erosion, reductions in wildlife populations, and general decline of the economy of regions where forests were lost. Many European settlers who came to America did so because of problems caused by deforestation in their home countries, and major deforestation continues to occur in many developing nations even today. Faces from the Past: Profiles of Those Who Led Restoration of the South’s Forests ix How could the United States avoid most of the problems resulting from regional deforestation? The answer came from a coordinated effort to develop reforestation guidelines. Forward thinking individuals in the forest industry, Federal and State governments, private landowners, and university groups were determined to restore the devastated lands into productive forest systems. In the early 1900s, forestry was in its infancy in the United States. The Biltmore Forest School near Asheville, NC, was created as the first forestry school in the United States. However, a number of university programs rapidly followed. Cornell, Yale, Minnesota, and Michigan universities were leaders in developing strong forestry programs. It is somewhat ironic that foresters from northern universities came to the South to lead restoration efforts that were needed because much of the forest devastation in the South was created by northern industrialists a few decades earlier.