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Iowa State University. Department of Forestry records

 Record Group — Multiple Containers
Identifier: RS 9/14

Scope and Content

This collection consists of materials related to the Department of Forestry. Records include news clippings, annual reports, newsletters, brochures, the "Ames Forester", subject files, biographical files, administrative records, course materials, Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Field Station Records, 50th Anniversary records, camp records, plantation records, creative components, and staff and faculty papers.

Dates

  • 1878-2004

Creator

Access Restrictions

Open for research. Part of this collection is stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives at least 3 working days in advance.

Use/Re-use Restrictions

Consult Special Collections and University Archives

Biography/Profile

Iowa State University first taught the subject of forestry in 1874 under the auspices of the Department of Horticulture and Forestry. Taught by H. H. McAffee (Head of the Department of Horticulture and Forestry, 1874-1877), the coursework included subjects such as evergreens, forest trees, forest plantations, tree nurseries, and woods. As interest in forestry grew, a one-credit course was offered separate from horticulture. In 1902, the Farm Forestry course became a three-credit course.

Technical training for foresters began at Iowa State in 1904. H.P. Baker developed and taught the first four courses offered in the program: Elementary Forestry, Silviculture, Forestry Management and Policy, and Wood Technology. In 1911, a course of study separate from horticulture began for juniors and seniors and a four-year course of study was established in 1913. Since 1935, the Society of American Foresters has accredited forestry coursework at Iowa State.

Iowa State was among the first to include forestry camps as part of the curriculum. The first forestry camp was offered in the summer of 1914. Thirty-five students participated in a three-month camp at Cass Lake, Minnesota. The summer camps were held yearly at various locations and were only suspended in 1943, 1944, and 1945 due to World War II. The length of time spent at the camps had been reduced to approximately three weeks by the early 1990s. Since 1994, the camps have been held during the fall semester. The forestry camps took place at locations throughout the United States, including places like Wyoming, Alabama, and Oregon. The camps allow students to get firsthand experience in professional forestry. Subjects studied at the camps include taking measurements, mensuration, harvesting and processing of wood, and silviculture.

By 1946, the Department of Horticulture and Forestry separated into two departments: the Department of Forestry and Department of Horticulture. In 2002, the Department of Forestry combined with the Department of Animal Ecology to create the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM).

Extent

30 linear feet (4 half-document boxes and 45 document boxes, 12 record center cartons, 3 oversize boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Iowa State University first taught the subject of forestry in 1874 under the auspices of the Department of Horticulture and Forestry. In 1904, H. P. Baker developed a technical forestry curriculum and taught classes in elementary forestry, silviculture, forestry management and policy, and wood technology. The following decade, Iowa State introduced forestry camps as part of the curriculum. The Department of Horticulture and Forestry separated into two separate units in 1946. In 2002, the Department of Forestry was combined with the Department of Animal Ecology to create the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. This collection contains news clippings, annual reports, newsletters, brochures, the "Ames Forester", subject files, biographical files, administrative records, course materials, Ag Experiment Station projects, 50th anniversary records, summer camp records, plantation records, creative components, and alumni files.

Physical Location

Part of this collection is stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives at least 3 working days in advance.

Items in related collections

RS 9/14/65. Wendell Gillett Beardsley papers, 1964-1990, undated RS 9/14/72. Dwight W. Bensend papers, 1943-2007 RS 9/14/11. Gilmour Byers MacDonald papers, 1910-2010, undated RS 9/14/52. David W. Countryman papers, 1973-2007, undated RS 9/14/54. Lawrence C. Promnitz papers, 1972-1977, undated RS 9/14/55. Julius Ansgar Larsen papers, 1909-1999, undated RS 9/14/56. Carl J. Goebel papers, 1961-1966 RS 9/14/57. Dean R. Prestemon papers, 1964-1994, undated RS 9/14/59. Paul H. Wray papers, 1975-2006, undated RS 9/14/61. Kenneth Dale Ware papers, 1961-1976, undated RS 9/14/62. Floyd George Manwiller papers, 1967-1997, undated RS 9/14/63. Frederick S. Hopkins, Jr. papers, 1959-2000, undated RS 9/14/64. John C. Meadows, Jr. papers, 1968-1971, undated RS 9/14/66. DeWitt Nelson papers, 1966-1986, undated RS 9/14/67. Jesse Davis Wellons III papers, 1965-1976, undated RS 9/14/68. Donald I. Dickmann papers, 1968-1984, undated RS 9/14/69. Raymond F. Finn papers, 1937-1990, undated RS 9/14/60. John Charles Gordon papers, 1966-1986, undated RS 9/14/70. Gordon E. Gatherum papers, 1953-1969, undated RS 9/14/71. Dean Richard Yoesting papers, 1967-1976, undated RS 9/14/14. Henry H. Webster papers, 1956-1978, undated RS 9/14/15. George Willis Thomson papers, 1950-2007, undated RS 9/14/51. Leonard F. Kellogg papers, 1923-1990, undated

Related collection materials

The following related materials are also available in the University Archives:

•Self-evaluation report. Prepared for the Committee on Accreditation, Society of American Foresters (call number SD254 I83 I59x) (multiple years available)

•Department of Forestry, Iowa State University, comprehensive program review: April 9-13, 1990 (call number SD254 I83 U55x 1990)

•Street tree survey of Ames, Iowa (call number SB435.52 I82 S77x 1931)

Processing Information

Released on 2018-08-03.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
RS 9/14. Iowa State University. Department of Forestry records, 1878-2004
Date
July 20, 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (Dacs)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
403 Parks Library
701 Morrill Road
Iowa State University
Ames Iowa 50011-2102 United States
(515) 294-6672