Joseph Trimble Rothrock papers, 1862-1922

Format:

Book

Series:

Environmental History: Conservation and Public Policy in America, 1870-1980.

Environmental History: Conservation and Public Policy in America, 1870-1980

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rothrock, Joseph T., 1839-1922--Archives.

Rothrock, Joseph T.

Forests and forestry--Pennsylvania--History--Sources.

Forests and forestry.

Foresters--Pennsylvania--Archives.

Foresters.

Botanists--Pennsylvania--Archives.

Botanists.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 manuscripts)

Place of Publication:

Gale, a Cengage Company

Summary:

In the state of Pennsylvania, Rothrock came to be known as the "father of forestry" in his role as the first Forestry Commissioner to lead the Division of Forestry in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. By Rothrock's death in 1922, over one million acres were included in Pennsylvania's state forest system. Fire laws had also been tightened and property tax laws changed to encourage timber preservation and reforestation. An estimated 35 million seedlings were provided to private landowners, enabling them to reforest 50,000 acres outside of state forest reservations. Rothrock also established the Pennsylvania State Forestry Academy, the only school to train foresters exclusively for state forest service. Correspondence, papers, and speeches in the Rothrock collection demonstrate clearly that his Pennsylvania initiatives, along with associated public relations and public administration skills, were regarded widely as models to be consulted by other states, the federal forestry program, and both provincial and federal forestry efforts in Canada. Foreign embassies regularly requested his official reports, even that of Germany, a country that originated the many of the practices of modern forestry and served as one of Rothrock's initial sources of inspiration to enter the field. Researchers using this collection will find material relating to a wide range of topics such as the birth of forestry in the U.S. and Europe, environmental management and preservation, environmental legislation, the history of science and botany, and forestry education.

Contents:

Series 1: Correspondence of Joseph Trimble Rothrock and Related Papers

Series 2: Selected Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of Forestry

Series 3: Papers of Joseph Trimble Rothrock at the Chester County Historical Society

Series 4: Additional Papers of Joseph Trimble Rothrock.

Notes:

Date of documents: 1862-1922.

OCLC:

1419557524