Special Events and Projects

The Forest History Society continually seeks opportunities to work with other universities, organizations, agencies, and groups to develop innovative ways of disseminating information on the history of human interaction with the environment. Cooperative projects allow institutions with similar outreach goals to combine financial resources and staff expertise in order to produce publications, exhibits, or other products that benefit the public. Collaborative projects are also attractive to grant funding sources, and they provide a cost-effective way for institutions to achieve goals that might otherwise remain unrealized. We welcome inquiries or suggestions about coopertive events or projects.

• History of Forestry Cooperative Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Project

  A North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) grant from the State Library of North Carolina in 2001 funded a two-phase project that created an online resource for research and information on the history of forestry in the state of North Carolina. In collaboration with three partner institutsions, FHS helped develop the website -- THE RISE OF AMERICAN FORESTRY: FROM EDUCATION TO PRACTICE -- which provides access to Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aids describing digital collections of rare and unique items from the four institutions. The site thus serves as a portal to specialized information on the origins of forestry and is used by the general public, students, and scholars. Digitized collections of documents and photographs from the Forest History Society primarily relate to forestry education at the Biltmore Forest School and early forestry practices in North Carolina and the American South.

  
  
• International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations (ICEHO)

  The purpose of this consortium sponsored by the American Society for Environmental History, the European Society for Environmental History, and the Forest History Society is to foster international communication among environmental history organizations. Specific goals include sharing information, learning from the successes and failures of others, and discussing common issues, concerns, and challenges. Membership is open to all organizations for which an important component of their focus is the history of human interaction with the environment. The Forest History Society is hosting the ICEHO web site. Following an initial membership period, a discussion list will be established to be hosted by majordomo at Duke University and administered through the Forest History Society headquarters.

• Centennial Forester Collection

  The Forest History Society began compiling the Centennial Forester Collection at the November 2000 annual meeting of the Society of American Foresters in Washington, D.C. Modeled after a Pinchot Collection of photographs and biographical sketches of foresters and conservationists compiled in the late 1940s by the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the American Forestry Association that is housed at the Library of Congress. The Centennial Forester Collection incorporates portrait photographs and biographies of foresters and conservationists whose careers have developed during the mid- to late twentieth century. The purpose of the collection is to gather and preserve important historical information documenting the forestry profession and its related occupations.

Inquiries or Suggestions About a Project or Event of Interest

If you have questions or would like to cooperate with the Forest History Society on a project or know of a special event that should come to our attention, please contact FHS president Steven Anderson at 701 William Vickers Avenue, Durham, N.C. 27701-3162; tel. (919) 682-9319; fax (919) 682-2349.