Volume 74 Article 6

1-1-1987

Forestry Through the YearsBill FarrisIowa State University

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Recommended CitationFarris, Bill (1987) "Forestry Through the Years," Ames Forester: Vol. 74 , Article 6.Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/amesforester/vol74/iss1/6

FORESTRY THROUGH THE YEARSby

Bill Farris

The forestry section of the Department ofNatural Resources had its beginning in 1935with legislation directing the employment of"a professionally trained state forester.'J The

first state forester was G. B. McDonald,

professor of forestry of Iowa State College.White Pine Hollow was acquired in 1936 asa state forest, and much of the original stateforest acreage was acquired during the1930's. A forest nursery was established atAmes in the mid 193OJs by the civilianConservation Corps.

M. A. EIIerhoff became the first full-timestate forester during the 1940's, havingformerly worked for the soil conservationService and the Timber War ProductionBoard. During the l947-48 biennium, theConservation Commission (now the Departmentof Natural Resources) cooperated with theU.S. Forest Service in the operation of threefarm forestry projects in the state. These

projects were conducted entirely with fundsand personnel of the u.s. Forest Service.However, starting on october 1, 1947, thetwo farm forestry projects, at perry and IowaGty, came under the conservation commissionwith reimbursements from the u.s. ForestService for one-half the total cost.

With passage of the Cooperative ForestManagement Act of 1950, the forestry programrapidly expanded. By the end of the decade,farm foresters were located at McGregor,Anamosa, Muscatine, Fairfield, Charjton andAdel. The Soil Bank Program during this

period resulted in an expansion of the stateForest Nursery and hundreds of acres plantedto trees. The sawmill at the Yellow RiverState Forest was installed jn 1950. ln 1959,1,205 acres of the Yellow River State Forestwas transferred to the National Park Serviceto establish Effigy Mounds NationalMonument.

During the 1960's, the farm forestry programcontinued to expand with offices establishedat LeMars, Charles Gty and Red Oak. TheLittle Sioux Flood Prevention Program andincreased activity in PL 566 watersheds wasthe impetus behind this expansion. A full-time

fire prevention forester, Milo "Smokey'JPeterson, was employed to promote a forestfire prevention program. Federal lands, partof the Hawkeye National Forest, were acquiredby the state and added to the state forest.An inmate labor program on the yellowRiver and Shimek forests was started incooperations. The forestry section, undercontract to the Corps of Engineers, developedand implemented a vegetative management

plan at Rathbun Reservoir.During the 1970's, the protection program

was expanded to include insect and diseaseas well as fire protection. A full-time utilizationand marketing specialist was added to providetechnical assistance to the loggers and wood-using industry in the state. Two more farmforestry districts were established at Humboldtand Creston. With these additions, alllandowners in the state had ready access totechnical assistance. Two regional forester

positions were also added to supervise andadminister the growing programs. Detailedforest management plans were developed onthe three major state forests in 1972. A newoffice and processing facility was built at theState Forest Nursery, expanding that operationand improving the stock handling capabilities.The Rural Community Fire Protection Program,which provides federal funds to local firedepartments on a matching basis, was started.

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ln addition, we say the Forestry IncentivesCost-Share Program, the Urban ForestryProgram and the Tree City, USA recognition

progrm initiated.

ln the l980's, the forest section began aforest management program on wildlife areasand state parks. A Forest Resources Plan forIowa was completed and approved by thecommission in l985. Legislation requiring all

timber buyers in the state to be bonded wasenacted with the forestry section responsiblefor administration. The nursery was expandedby the addition of a new growing area atthe Montrose Prison Farm in cooperation withthe Department of Corrections.

Bill Farris is the assistant state forester locatedin Des Moines. He holds a B.S. degree inforestry from lSU. He has been with thedepartment since l96l.

We would like to thank the Iowa Departmentof Natural Resources for allowing us to printthis article that was published in the February-lssue o{ the Iowa Conservationist.

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