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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The Year When Turkeys Were Used to Fight Forest Fires
By Eben Lehman on November 22, 2017There’s no better time than Thanksgiving week to look back at some of forest history’s famous turkeys. While we’ve previously looked at how turkeys changed forest history by upending timber policy in the 1960s, it’s due time to highlight a …
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Parachuting Into History: Smokejumpers Land In DC For First Time
By James Lewis on June 28, 2017On this date in 1949, four Forest Service smokejumpers made the first jump east of the Mississippi River and the first parachute jump ever made onto the Washington Ellipse, the oval park between the Washington Monument and the White House. …
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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: Rusty Scrapiron
By Eben Lehman on July 13, 2016Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. Peeling Back the Bark's series on “Forgotten Characters from …
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"Slow Awakening: Ecology’s Role in Shaping Forest Fire Policy"
By Guest Contributor on October 16, 2014In this article-length guest blog post, retired U.S. Forest Service research forester Stephen F. Arno discusses why fire management is impeded today and says we need to look at the history of fire policy in tandem with the development of …
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Gifford Pinchot’s "Ten Commandments"
By James Lewis on July 16, 2013A short time ago, my co-blogger Eben received a query from someone asking for "GP’s 10 commandments." He had not heard of this and passed the query along to me. "GP" is Gifford Pinchot, and as you probably know, he …
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Mason County Forest Festival Rolls On
By Eben Lehman on May 31, 2013A parade, a pageant, and Paul Bunyan. These may not be the first three things that come to mind when you think about fire prevention, but residents of Mason County, Washington, back in 1945 had their own unique ideas. To …
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May 29, 1903: Bob "Forest History" Hope was Born
By James Lewis on May 29, 2013On this date in 1903, Bob “Forest History” Hope was born in London, England. His career in comedy spanned 60 years and moved from the Vaudeville stage to radio and film and eventually television. He appeared in more than 70 …
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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: Benny Beaver
By James Lewis on March 12, 2013Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. Peeling Back the Bark‘s series on “Forgotten Characters from …
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Smokey, Walk Away from the Walk of Fame!
By James Lewis on October 15, 2012Once again, the American voters have gotten it wrong. Once again, they failed to elect Smokey Bear to the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in this year’s voting, which closed at the end of September. The iconic bear …
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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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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: Sniff and Snuff
By Eben Lehman on April 13, 2012Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. Peeling Back the Bark's series on “Forgotten Characters from …
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November 14, 1921: First-ever National Fire Control Conference held
By James Lewis on November 14, 2011On this date in 1921, the U.S. Forest Service convened the first national conference on fire control at Mather Air Field near Sacramento, California. Virtually all the agency’s leaders and brightest minds came together for the conference, including six district …
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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: "The Fire Wolf"
By Eben Lehman on November 3, 2011Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. Peeling Back the Bark's series on “Forgotten Characters from …
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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: Cal Green
By Eben Lehman on August 2, 2011Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. Peeling Back the Bark's series on “Forgotten Characters from …
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Smokey Bear’s Fire Prevention All-Stars
By James Lewis on July 12, 2011Tonight’s MLB All-Star game in fire-prone Arizona reminds us that Smokey Bear had his own All-Star team back in the 1980s (back when the Pittsburgh Pirates used to have winning seasons). During spring training, Smokey—a Hall of Fame-caliber manager if …
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June 29, 1915: First Aerial Fire Patrol Took Flight
By James Lewis on June 29, 2011On this date in 1915, what is believed to be the world’s first forest patrol flight was made at Trout Lake, Wisconsin. Aviation pioneer and wealthy Chicago sportsman Logan “Jack” Vilas made the initial flight in order to demonstrate the …
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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: “The Guberif”
By Eben Lehman on January 6, 2011Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. Peeling Back the Bark‘s series on “Forgotten Characters from …
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Forgotten Characters from Forest History: "Woody"
By Eben Lehman on December 9, 2010Everyone knows Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and maybe even Ranger Rick Raccoon, but there are many other forest and forestry-related fictional characters that long ago fell by the wayside. We here at Peeling Back the Bark would like to shed …
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Fire Prevention Week: October 3-9, 2010
By Eben Lehman on October 6, 2010This week (October 3-9, 2010) marks Fire Prevention Week, a designation intended to promote the importance of fire safety and awareness as well as to pay tribute to the nation’s firefighters. Dating back almost a full century, the observance …