Inventory of the Rodney O. Fety Papers, 1941 – 1996

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: Rodney O. Fety (1915-2010) graduated from Oregon State College in 1941 with a bachelor’s degree in forestry, and later earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin, writing his Master’s thesis on the Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands (O&C Lands). During his professional career Fety held the following positions: District Forester, District Manager (1951-1955), Chief of the Branch of Forest Operation in Oregon state office of BLM beginning in 1963, Assistant chief of the BLM Forestry staff in Washington office in 1967, and Assistant Chief for Division of Forestry in 1971. His notable contributions include writing a forestry bill in 1971 for Senator Mark O. Hatfield, and a presentation in 1971 during a study tour to the U.S.S.R.

The collection includes photographs, correspondence, reports, position papers and remarks, copies of bills and legal proceedings, and news clippings covering the major events of Fety’s career first as a forester and later with the Bureau of Land Management. Collection materials also capture his longstanding academic and professional involvement with the O&C Lands.

Title: Rodney O. Fety Papers, 1941 – 1996

Creator: Rodney O. Fety

Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives

Call Number: 2014-004

Language of Material: Material in English

Extent: 1.7 linear ft. (4 archival boxes)

Biographical Note

Rodney Oscar Fety was born on June 13, 1915. Fety served in the Marines and then in the Navy during World War II, retiring from military service as a lieutenant commander. Fety graduated from Oregon State College in 1941 with a bachelor’s degree in forestry, and later earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin. The Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands (O&C Lands) were the topic of his Master’s thesis in 1953. During his professional career Fety held the following positions: District Forester, District Manager (1951-1955), Chief of the Branch of Forest Operation in Oregon state office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) beginning in 1963, Assistant chief of the BLM Forestry staff in Washington office in 1967, and Assistant Chief for Division of Forestry in 1971. As a forester, Fety cut down the Douglas fir for President Harry S. Truman’s Christmas tree in 1951. His notable contributions include writing a forestry bill in 1971 for Senator Mark O. Hatfield, and a presentation in 1971 during a study tour to the U.S.S.R. After retiring in 1973, Fety continued to be active in a number of land issues, including the O&C land transfer, into the mid-1990s. Fety passed away on December 24, 2010.

Collection Overview

Collection Arrangement

Presidential Panel transcript
American Forestry Act
U.S.S.R. trip
Papers, reports, etc. on land management
O&C Lands
Photographs
Professional Awards
Retirement cards/letters

Subject Headings

Forest management — Oregon — History.
Forest policy — Oregon.
Forest policy — Oregon — History.
Forests and forestry — Oregon.
Oregon.
Oregon and California Railroad Company.
Oregon and California Railroad Company — History.
Railroad land grants — Oregon.
Railroad land grants — California.
Railroad land grants.
United States. — Bureau of Land Management.
United States. — Bureau of Land Management — History.

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Presidential Panel transcript, 1971.

Box 1
- Folder 1
  - Presidential Panel transcript, 1971
    - Transcript of proceedings for December 6, 1971 meeting of Presidential Panel on Timber and the Environment. R. Fety presented and his remarks are preserved in the transcript.

2. American Forestry Act, 1971-1973.

Box 1
- Folder 2
  - American Forestry Act
    - Materials related to R. Fety’s involvement in Senator Mark O. Hatfield’s (R-Oregon) introduction of forestry bills in 1971 and 1973.

3. U.S.S.R. trip, 1971.

Box 1
- Folder 3
  - U.S.S.R. trip I
    - Prep materials, papers, and program – Symposium on Forest Operations in Mountainous Regions (1971). Includes R. Fety’s paper, “Logging Methods in Young Growth Douglas Fir in Mountainous Regions.”
- Folder 4
  - U.S.S.R. trip II
    - Materials from 1971 symposium and study tour to U.S.S.R, along with United Nations and U.S. State Department correspondence in advance of the trip. Trip materials include expense notes on per diem and American Express receipts, articles published regarding trip.
- Folder 5
  - U.S.S.R. trip III
    - Technical Report from 1971 Symposium and study tour to U.S.S.R on International Land Organization.

4. Papers, reports, and other materials concerning land management, 1950-1996.

Box 1
- Volume 1
  - Bound report
    - BLM Precommercial Thinnings Field Trip, Eugene District, 1968.
- Volume 2
  - Bound report
  - BLM Program Conference, Working Materials, 1952.
- Folder 6
  - Papers and remarks, 1950-1967
    - Objectives and Practices in the Forests of the United States Department of the Interior (1950, Walter H. Horning), Statement by Edward Woozley for panel discussion Managing Old Growth Forests at 47th Annual Western Forestry Conference (1956), Statement by James F. Doyle re BLM sustained yield (1967).
- Folder 7
  - News clippings, 1951-1996

5. O&C Lands, 1941-1996.

Box 2
- Folder 8
  - O&C 1
    - Transcript of Oral History re: O&C lands, 1996.
- Folder 9
  - O&C 2.1
    - O&C land transfer, 1995-1996; Correspondence.
- Folder 10
  - O&C 2.2
    - O&C land transfer, 1994; Correspondence and clippings.
- Folder 11
  - O&C 3
    - O&C Bill and case law.
- Folder 12
  - O&C 4
    - O&C University of Oregon report and statistical supplement, 1981.
- Folder 13
  - O&C 5
    - O&C Policy & Materials, 1960 to 1990’s; Photos, clippings.
Box 2
- Folder 14
  - O&C 6.1
    - UW article on O&C lands, 1954, written by R. Fety.
- Folder 15
  - O&C 6.2
    - Passive to Intensive Land Management – manuscript written by R.O. Fety.
- Folder 16
  - O&C 7
    - Legislative and Administrative Policy for the O&C Forest Lands, 1954. Paper written by R.O. Fety and C.W. Loomer.
- Folder 17
  - O&C 8
    - Papers, clippings and remarks, 1941-1993.
- Volumes 3-4
  - O&C 9
    - Master’s Thesis, 1953. Written by R Fety on O&C lands (2 bound volumes).
- Volume 5
  - Management Practices on Public Lands
    - Hearings before the Subcommittee on Public Lands of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs United States Senate.
- Volume 6-8
  - Other pubs
    - O&C Sustained Yield Act: The land, the law, the legacy, 1937-1987; Board Foot Volume Tables (Mason, Bruce & Girard); Douglas Fir Logging in Oregon Coast Range, A World Forestry Congress West Coast Tour

6. Photographs, 1951-1972 and undated.

Box 4
- Folder 18
  - Photos I
    - Includes forest canopy at Crooked Creek, Mohawk Area, Eugene District, Oregon, 1972. Douglas Fir stand, Lake A, Eugene District, Oregon, 1972. Photos document brush and hardwood control after 1966 trimming. Includes negatives.
- Folder 19
  - Photos II
    - Pictures from various professional conferences, events, groups, etc. Also photos from 1951 when Mr. Fety cut down the Douglas fir for President Harry S. Truman’s Christmas tree, and some general photos of Mr. Fety in Oregon’s Rock Creek recreation area in 1963.

A douglas fir Christmas tree for President Truman being cut by BLM district forester, Rodney O. Fety, on snowy mountainside in northwest Oregon.

7. Professional Awards, 1972-1993.

Box 4
- Folder 20
  - Professional Awards
    - Copies of awards and any accompanying letters. Awards received: Letter regarding Society of American Foresters “Golden Membership Aware” commemorating 50 years of membership, 1993, United States Department of the Interior Honor Award for Distinguished Service, 1974, United States Department of the Interior Honor Award for Meritorious Service, 1972.

8. Retirement cards/letters, 1973-2008.

Box 4
- Volume 9
  - Binder of Retirement cards and letters, both personal and professional.
- Volume 10-11
  - Register of BLM retirees, June 2008; Rediscover Your Public Lands, 50th Anniversary Calendar 1996.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the Forest History Society’s archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Rodney O. Fety Papers, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Lauren Fety in September 2014.

Processing Information

Processed by Margaret Stebelton, December 2014

Encoded by Eben Lehman, February 2015

Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.

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