Photograph Collection

Lumbering scene in British Columbia, Canada.

The Forest History Society's Alvin J. Huss Archives maintains a rich collection of over 40,000 photos, slides, negatives, plates, and films documenting the history of human interaction with the environment. Indexed by subject, the main collection covers a wide array of topics while focusing on the history of forests, the forest products industry, the U.S. Forest Service, and lumbering and sawmilling practices. The majority of the collection consists of black-and-white prints taken in the United States from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Several auxiliary image collections created by companies or individuals are also available for study at the Forest History Society. Examples include photograph albums compiled by forestry school students on field trips; collections amassed by foresters or forest products companies in the course of conducting everyday operations; and images used in the publication of forest industry magazines. Examples include collections such as Champion International Corporation, Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Company, the Red River Lumber Company, and the Forest Industries Magazine Photographs.

A Guide to the Forest History Society Photograph Collection [PDF] lists the various subject headings under which photographs are filed in our collection.

Authorized use of images from the FHS collections is allowed for most non-commercial uses; however, permission from the Society is required prior to publication or display. Photographic use fees may apply.