Inventory of the Harold Weaver Notebooks, 1942 – 1967
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: Harold Weaver (1903?-1983) was an American forester best known for his work on prescribed burning.
The collection includes reports, largely consisting of 8' x 10' black and white photographic prints, but also containing narrative material, resulting from studies of fire as an ecological factor on timberland; also contains related correspondence. Most of the sites studied are on Indian reservations in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, and New Mexico; also national forests in the Pacific Northwest, the Tillamook Burn forest (1966), and other forest lands. In looseleaf binders (49 volumes). A number of photographs and negatives were removed to the Auxiliary Collections section of the Forest History Society Photograph Collection.
Title: Harold Weaver Notebooks, 1942 - 1967
Creator: Weaver, Harold (1903?-1983)
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 3473
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 3.0 linear feet (2 record cartons)
Biographical Note
Harold Weaver (1903?-1983) was an American forester best known for his work on prescribed burning.
Weaver graduated as a forester from Oregon State College, Corvallis, in 1928 and was soon thereafter hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as a Junior Forester at the Klamath agency. In 1933, he was transferred to the regional office in Spokane and placed in charge of Civilian Conservation Corps work. From 1940 to 1948 he worked for the Colville agency, transferring to Phoenix, Arizona in 1948 to become an Area Forester. In 1951, he left Arizona for a position in Washington as Assistant Chief, Branch of Forest and Range Management. In 1954, he accepted a position as an Area Forester in Portland, Oregon. He retired in 1967, living in Portland until 1978, when he moved to Jasper Arkansas.
Collection Overview
Reports, largely consisting of 8" x 10" black and white photographic prints, but also containing narrative material, resulting from studies of fire as an ecological factor on timberland; also contains related correspondence. Most of the sites studied are on Indian reservations in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, and New Mexico; also national forests in the Pacific Northwest, the Tillamook Burn forest (1966), and other forest lands. In looseleaf binders (49 volumes).
Collection Arrangement
- Notebooks, 1942-1964
Subject Headings
- Forest fires -- 20th century
- Indian reservations -- New Mexico / Indian reservations -- Montana
- Indian reservations -- Oregon / Indian reservations -- Washington
- National parks and reserves -- Northwest, Pacific
- Prescribed burning -- United States
- Tillamook Burn, Or., 1966
- Weaver, Harold
Separated Material
A number of photographs and negatives were removed to the Auxiliary Collections section of the FHS Photograph Collection.
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Notebooks, 1942-1964
- Folder 1
Correspondence, 1942-1945- Includes correspondence related to "Fire as an Ecological and Silvicultural Factor in the Ponderosa Pine Region of the Pacific Slope."
- Folder 2
Miscellaneous Reports- Includes reports by Harold Weaver, Forest Supervisor, covering such topics as use of fire as silvicultural tool; sale of timber on Indian Reservations; slash disposal; lumber company cost reports; lumber sales; stumpage prices for timber sales on Indian Reservations; and journal entries of a Forest Fire Ranger.
- Folder 3
Correspondence, 1955-1960- Includes correspondence related to Yakima Indian Reservation.
- Folder 4
Reprints of Articles- Articles cover such topics as fire and management problems in Ponderosa Pines; broadcast burning; prescribed burning; history of 1910 forest fires in Idaho and Western Montana; effects of understory competition on Ponderosa Pine; and growth inventory.
- Folder 5
Letters and Reports of Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1952-1953- Includes letters concerning such topics as timber sales on Reservation land; forest and range management on Indian Reservations; timber management planning; financial records; participation and partial financing by Indians in forest management; inventory estimates for some Reservation lands; and fish protective devices.
- Folder 6
Letters and Reports from Field Trips, 1951-1957- Includes such topics as timber damage due to fire; inspection of forestry operations; tree farms; logging methods; insect problems; thinnings; research projects; and timber sales.
- Folder 7
Personal File When Supervisor of Colville Indian Agency, Nespelem, Washington, 1946-1948- Includes such items as performance ratings and professional correspondence and reports regarding topics such as: prescribed burning; slash disposal; preparation of timber records; controlled fire in thinning Ponderosa Pine; management problems in Ponderosa Pine; and stumpage reevaluation.
- Folder 8
Professional and Personal Correspondence and Reports When Area Forester, Office of Inidan Affairs, Phoenix, Arizona, 1948-1952- Includes records concerning such topics as Ponderosa Pine Studies (by Weaver); growth of uneven-aged Ponderosa Pine; forestry work in other areas of the United States (written by friends); fire use in range management; prescribed burning; forest fires; and wildlife management and recreational development on Indian Reservations.
- Folder 9
Reports, Newspaper Clippings, and Letters When Assistant Chief, Branch of Forest and Branch Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1952-1953- Includes such topics as use of fire as silvicultural tool; Weaver's papers on prescribed burning; and prescribed burning on rangelands.
- Folder 10
Professional and Personal Correspondence and Reports, 1954-1956- Concerns such topics as prescribed burning; field trips; performance rating; publishing of prescribed burning articles (Weaver's); and insect control.
- Folder 11
Correspondence, Reports, Maps, and Newspaper Clippings, 1956-1957- Concerns such topics as Weaver's articles in Journal for Forestry; performance ratings; controlled burning; and prior burns.
- Folder 12
Correspondence When Area Forester, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Portland, Oregon, 1957- Concerns such topics as presentations on burning; burning activities and results in areas of other foresters; articles on controlled and uncontrolled fires; and reports of field trips.
- Folder 13
Reports and Correspondence, 1954-1958- Concerns such topics as proposed bill regarding sale of Indian timber; management and protection problems on Indian forests; forest activities for Bureau of Indian Affairs (1957); prescribed burning; recruitment; meetings; purchase of fire equipment; history of Indian forests; stumpage appraisal; and pest control.
- Folder 14
Correspondence and Copies of Articles, 1958-1960- Concerns such topics as results of prescribed burning; Weaver's articles on prescribed burning; description of prescribed burning research project; research paper concerning fire and survival; and pine beetle control.
- Folder 15
Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1961-1964- Concerns such topics as performance ratings; foresters retiring; requests for photos and articles; and expenses for trips.
- Folder 16
Chronological Letters: Miscellaneous, Other than Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1965-1967- Concerns such topics as prescribed burning; articles written by Weaver; insect problems; retirements; and meetings.
- Folder 17
Chronogical Letters: Washington Office and Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1964-1967- Concerns such topics as prescribed burning; retirement; meetings; and corrections for reports on intensive timber management on Reservations.
- Folder 18
Forest Officer's Report: "Proposed Advertisement, Proposed Contract, and Other Papers Pertaining to the Twin Lakes Timber Sale Unit," August 1942. - Folder 19
Miscelleanous- Includes 1) Joke photo of Weaver from Bob Henderson (July 20, 1966); 2) Two yearbooks: Savage Talk (1947, 1948)--Nespelem School; 3) One envelope: United States Department of the Interior 37th Honor Awards Convocation (December 11, 1968); 4) A. Oregon State College paper by Weaver, Slash Disposal in the Western Yellow Pine Forests of Oregon (1928); B. Paper and correspondence regarding the use and control of fire in rangeland management and paper and correspondence from Harold Biswell, University of California; and C. Correspondence and grade school paper of Jim Weaver.
- Folder I
Papers and Correspondence, 1961-1963- Includes materials regarding such topics as requests for information and articles; beetle damage; snag burning; prescribed burning; invitations to meetings; water yields from Chaparral watersheds; and thinning and prescribed burning.
- Folder II
Papers and Correspondence, 1963-1964- Includes materials regarding such topics as thinning and prescribed burning; invitations to meetings; management problems in Ponderosa Pine; and photos taken.
- Folder III
Papers and Correspondence, 1965-1966- Includes materials regarding such topics as upcoming meetings and conferences, articles concerning prescribed burning; Weaver's paper on effects of prescribed burning; field trips; and presentations.
- Folder IV
Papers and Correspondence, 1966- Includes materials regarding such topics as prescribed burning; ecoomic aspects of controlled burning, presentations; articles concerning prescribed burning; conferences; trips; and photos taken by Weaver.
- Folder V
Papers and Correspondence, 1966-1967- Includes materials regarding such topics as prescribed burning workshops and field trips; prescribed burning; burning reports; beetle problems; and presentations.
- Folder VI
Articles on Prescribed Burning
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
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Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Harold Weaver Notebooks, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Received from the Georgia-Pacific Historical Museum in April 1980.
Processing Information
Processed by Staff and Amanda Ross
Encoded by Amanda Ross, September 2008
Funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission supported the encoding of this finding aid. Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.
