Peeling Back The Bark
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Dark Days, Then and Now
By Guest Contributor on January 24, 2019In this guest post, renowned fire historian Stephen Pyne reviews the history of wildland fires in the United States and the policies and strategies various agencies continue operating under before offering some recommendations for dealing with the issue.
On May …
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Growing a Tree Army: Historic Photos of Michigan’s USFS Nurseries
By Eben Lehman on November 6, 2013A significant amount of Michigan’s public forests today owe their existence to the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s. Known as “Roosevelt’s Tree Army,” CCC enrollees played a crucial role in reforestation efforts throughout the country during …
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Stephen J. Pyne: "After The Fire" (op-ed)
By Guest Contributor on July 9, 2013The following post comes to us courtesy of Stephen J. Pyne, an environmental historian who has written extensively about the history of fire and fire policy and is the author of the FHS Issues Series book America’s Fires. This … -
Dash for the ‘Stache Recap
By James Lewis on June 13, 2013A flash of light woke me around 3 am. I thought someone had flicked a light in the bedroom and left the water running in the bathroom. But then I remembered. I was in a tent. The running water was …
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CCC and the Art of Woodsmanship
By Eben Lehman on March 21, 2013Eighty years ago, Rudy Wendelin was a young artist fresh out of the University of Kansas School of Architecture struggling like many others to find work during the Great Depression. Relief came in 1933 when he applied for a job …
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Forest Service "Bulletin" Christmas Art Sampler
By James Lewis on December 14, 2012This holiday season we turn to the U.S. Forest Service History Collection for a little fun artwork. The "Service Bulletin" was the newsletter, initially issued weekly and then later monthly, published by the Washington Office (WO) to keep employees abreast …
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NC Forest Service Photo Gallery Now Available
By James Lewis on August 1, 2012Between 1891 and 1938, forestry in North Carolina saw many changes. The state government hired its first state employee to carry out forestry work in 1891; its first professionally trained forester, John Simcox Holmes, in 1909; and its first fire …
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Why we need Obama's Veterans Conservation Corps (op-ed)
By James Lewis on March 8, 2012The following is an op-ed piece written by FHS staff historian James G. Lewis that appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times on February 19, 2012.
In his State of the Union address last month and again at a recent press event, …
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“I Would Have Sold it for a Candy Bar” (Weeks Act Series)
By Guest Contributor on July 14, 2011To help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Weeks Act, we’ve asked Dr. Bob Healy of Duke University’s Nicholas School for the Environment and co-author of classic book, The Lands Nobody Wanted, to write a series of blog …
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November 30, 1900: Society of American Foresters Founded
By Amanda T. Ross on November 30, 2008On this day in history, leading conservationist Gifford Pinchot and six other foresters founded the Society of American Foresters in Washington, D.C. In its 108-year history, the Society has grown to become the largest professional organization for foresters in the …
