Inventory of the Murlyn Bennet Dickerman Papers, 1924 – 1983
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: Murlyn B. Dickerman (1912-2000) served as United States Forest Service deputy chief of research. As a representative of the Society of American Foresters, Dickerman led the United States Forestry Team delegation to the People's Republic of China in 1980.
The collection includes correspondence, itineraries, reports, papers, and articles concerning forestry in China and a 1980 trip of a United States Forestry Team, led by Murlyn B. Dickerman, to the People's Republic of China. In 1979, when the United States granted official diplomatic recognition to China, the two governments agreed to exchange ideas, information, scholars, and students in order to promote increased knowledge in the fields of science and technology. Forestry teams from both countries studied breeding and cultivation of improved tree varieties, reforestation, lumber practices, erosion control, and forestry education practices of the other country.
Title: Murlyn Bennet Dickerman Papers, 1924 - 1983
Creator: Dickerman, M. B. (Murlyn Bennet), 1912-
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 3920
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 1.5 linear feet (1 record carton)
Biographical and Historical Note
Murlyn B. Dickerman
Murlyn B. Dickerman (1912-2000) served as United States Forest Service deputy chief of research. As a representative of the Society of American Foresters, Dickerman led the United States Forestry Team delegation to the People's Republic of China in 1980.
Forestry Exchange between the United States and People's Republic of China
In 1979, the United States granted official diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China (PRC), thus opening lines of communication between the two countries. On January 31, 1979, the governments of the United States and the PRC signed a cooperative agreement to exchange ideas, information, scholars, and students in the scientific and technological fields for the benefit of each country and all mankind. The intellectual exchange was to operate for a period of five years unless extended further through amendment to the official signed agreement. Other countries were invited to participate in a minimal capacity and encouraged to prepare their own cooperative agreements with the government of the PRC.
One of the areas of shared investigation was forestry. As per the agreement, the PRC's Ministry of Forestry sent a number of delegations to the United States during the five-year period. Their primary goal was to study forest management and improvement in America. Specifically, they studied such topics as breeding and cultivation of improved tree varieties; reforestation of hills and barren areas; log handling, skidding, and transportation; integrated use of forest products; and forestry education. Likewise, the United States sent a number of delegations to China over the allotted period to study China's current forest genetic and breeding practices, nursery management, reforestation, erosion control, and forest product handling and use.
Murlyn Dickerman, as a representative of the Society of American Foresters, led the 1980 U.S. Forestry Team delegation to the PRC. Other members of the team included: Donald P. Duncan, Dean of the University of Missouri's School of Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife; Douglas R. Leisz, Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service; James G. Yoho, a representative of the International Paper Company; John C. Gordon, Dean of Oregon State University's Department of Forest Science; F. Bryan Clark, Director of Timber Management Research for the U.S. Forest Service; and Carl Reidel, a representative of the American Forestry Association.
Collection Overview
The collection includes correspondence, itineraries, reports, papers, and articles concerning forestry in China and a 1980 trip of a United States Forestry Team, led by Murlyn B. Dickerman, to the People's Republic of China. In 1979, when the United States granted official diplomatic recognition to China, the two governments agreed to exchange ideas, information, scholars, and students in order to promote increased knowledge in the fields of science and technology. Forestry teams from both countries studied breeding and cultivation of improved tree varieties, reforestation, lumber practices, erosion control, and forestry education practices of the other country.
Collection Arrangement
A number of photographs taken during Dickerman's 1980 trip to the PRC were removed from this collection and placed in the Forest History Society's Photograph Collection. The photographs are housed in a subfile marked "U.S. Forestry Delegation Trip, 1980" in the main file labeled China.
- Materials Related to Forestry in China, 1924-1983
Subject Headings
- Clark, F. Bryan
- Dickerman, M. B. (Murlyn Bennet), 1912-
- Duncan, Donald P. (Donald Pendleton), 1916-
- Forests and forestry -- China -- 20th century
- Gordon, J. C. (John C.), 1939-
- Leisz, Douglas R. (Douglas Robert), 1926-
- Reidel, Carl H., 1937-
- Society of American Foresters
- Yoho, James G.
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Materials Related to Forestry in China, 1924-1983.
- Folder 1
Background Information, 1979 and 1981 - Folder 2
Correspondence, November 1977 to December 1978 - Folder 3
Itineraries/Trip Logs: Visit to the PRC, 1980 - Folder 4
Maps of China, undated - Folder 5
Miscellaneous: Forestry in China, 1980 Exchange Program - Folder 6
- Photographs, 1980
- Reports/Papers/Articles: China
- Folder 7
General Information, 1979-1980 - Folder 8
General Forestry in the PRC, 1955-1982 and undated - Folder 9
Exchange Program Reports, Australian, 1981 - Folder 10
Exchange Program Reports, Canadian, 1976 - Folder 11
Exchange Program Reports, United States, 1977-1981 - Folder 12
- Forestry Policy in the PRC (a case study), 1978
- "Forestry Policy in China" (Dissertation, 1980)
- Folder 13
Part One (Chapters 1 and 2): Introduction - Folder 14-15
Part Two (Chapters 3-5): Afforestation and Forest Management - Folder 16
Part Three (Chapter 6): Forest Exploitation and Regeneration - Folder 17
Part Four (Chapter 7): Summary - Folder 18
China's Environmental Policy, 1981-1982 - Folder 19
Agriculture and Communes, undated - Folder 20
"China: Forestry Support for Agriculture," 1978 - Folder 21
Erosion and Soil Conservation, 1924-1980 - Folder 22
Genetics and Tree Improvement, 1982-1983 - Folder 23
Forestry Law of China, 1980 - Folder 24
Forestry Research and Education, 1980-1981 and undated - Folder 25
Nature Conservation, 1980 - Folder 26
Forestry Pest Control, 1981-1982 and undated - Folder 27
Wood-Based Industries, 1978 - Folder 28
Timber Production, 1976
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
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Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Murlyn Bennet Dickerman Papers, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Processing Information
Processed by Michele Justice, May 1991
Encoded by Amanda Ross, January 2009
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.
