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Archival Collections:

Arthur W. Cooper Papers
1967-1987, n.d. (bulk 1976-1979)


Scope and Content Note

The Cooper Papers are comprised of materials that the USDA Committee of Scientists (COS) either consulted or generated in its review of national forest management planning regulations from 1977 to 1979. The papers include correspondence, minutes of COS meetings, copies of testimony presented at congressional hearings, preliminary and draft versions of the COS final report, and public comments about proposed regulations. The materials are housed in four cartons and two manuscript boxes.

Biographical Note

Arthur (“Art”) W. Cooper receivedbachelor and master of arts degrees in 1953 and 1955 from Colgate University inNew York and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1958. Cooper served theNorth Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources as assistantsecretary from 1971 to 1976. He is a former president of the Ecological Societyof America, chair of the Appalachian Society of American Foresters, president ofthe North Carolina Academy of Sciences, chair of the USDA Committee ofScientists, and chair of Governor James B. Hunt’s Task Force on SustainableForestry in North Carolina. In 1980 he was appointed head of the Department ofForestry at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, N.C. As of theyear 2000, Dr. Cooper remains a member of the NCSU faculty and teaches coursesin forest resource policy and administration. Cooper is the recipient of the1999 Gifford Pinchot Medal, awarded annually by the Society of AmericanForesters to persons who have made outstanding achievements and contributions tothe forestry profession.

Historical Note on the Committee of Scientists

The 1976 National Forest Management Act (NFMA) called for the establishment of a committee that would council and advise the secretary of agriculture during the development of national forest management planning regulations, as required by the NFMA. In November of 1976 Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz asked the National Academy of Sciences for assistance in selecting non-U.S. Forest Service personnel for appointment to the COS. In April 1977 Secretary Butz named the members of the Committee of Scientists:
  • Arthur W. Cooper, committee chair (professor, NCSU School of Forest Resources)
  • Thadis Box (dean, Utah State University College of Natural Resources)
  • R. Rodney Foil (dean, Mississippi State University School of Forest Resources)
  • Ronald W. Stark (graduate dean and coordinator of research, University of Idaho)
  • Lucille F. Stickel (director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; Stickel and Webb served consecutively)
  • Earl L. Stone, Jr. (professor, Cornell University Department of Agronomy)
  • Dennis E. Teeguarden (professor of forestry economics, University of California)
  • William Webb (professor emeritus, N.Y. State College of Environmental Science & Forestry; Stickel and Webb served consecutively)
From 1977 to1979 the COS held a number of meetings and drafted a series of proposedregulations for multiple-use management of U.S. national forests. The committee’sfinal recommendations were approved and went into effect in October 1979.

Althoughofficially disbanded as a committee in 1979, the Reagan administration broughtthe individual members of the COS together once again as a group of independentconsultants serving in the capacity of a “panel of experts” for the purposeof reevaluating and limiting national forest management regulations. Theconsultants reviewed existing regulations and received additional publiccomments before suggesting that the Reagan administration keep the originalregulations developed by the COS, which the administration reluctantly did.

Noteon Arrangement and Description

Inprocessing the collection, the archivist removed duplicate materials, replacedrusty fasteners, and photocopied acidic papers onto alkaline-buffered paper.Documents within files have either a chronological or reverse chronologicalorder based upon their original order.

Thepapers consist of four series:

  • Meeting Materials Series – contains minutes of COS meetings, aswell as overview materials about the committee and background reading materialsthat COS members consulted prior to meetings.
  • Correspondence Series – contains correspondence by and betweenCOS members.
  • COS Report Series – contains such diverse materials as testimonypresented at hearings relating to NFMA regulations, versions of NFMAregulations, COS discussion notes about the regulations, drafts and commentsabout various sections of the COS report, draft copies of the COS final report,an NFMA legislative history, notes about U.S. Forest Service regional planning,and supporting documents reviewed for the development of national forestplanning regulations.
  • COS Activity During the Reagan Administration Series – containsmaterials relating to committee members’ review of NFMA regulations whileserving as a panel of experts at the request of the Reagan administration in theearly 1980s.

ContainerList

MeetingMaterials Series – Box 1

  • Table of contents to Committee of Scientists (COS) Minutes of Meetingsheld from May 1977 to January 1978 (compiled by Society of American Foresters,8/31/1978)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (May 24-26, 1977; Washington, DC)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (June 19-21, 1977; Boise, ID)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (July 27-28, 1977; Juneau, AK)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (August 29-30, 1977; Denver, CO)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (September 21-23, 1977; Minneapolis, MN)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (October 27-28, 1977; San Francisco, CA)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (December 1-2, 1977; Atlanta, GA)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (January 16-18, 1978; Phoenix, AZ)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (February 23-24, 1978; Biloxi, MS)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (March 29-30, 1978; Dallas, TX)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (April 17-18, 1978; Washington, DC)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (July 14, 1978; Washington, DC)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (September 28-29, 1978; Denver, CO)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (November 1-2, 1978; Seattle, WA)
  • Public Meeting on NFMA Regulations (November 27, 1978; Washington, DC)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (December 7-8, 1978; Sacramento, CA)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (January 8-9, 1979; Houston, TX)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (January 26, 1979; Washington, DC)
  • COS Minutes of Meetings (June 20-22, 1979; Asheville, NC)
  • COS Overview Materials (1972-1977) – information on the establishmentand mission of the committee; copies of administrative guidelines and managementcontrols; summary information on the NFMA and the RPA; public involvement plans;information on timber removal and roadless areas on national forests; planningdocuments; and overview of COS tasks and responsibilities.
  • COS Meeting Materials (January-March 1978) – information reviewed bycommittee members in preparation for COS meetings.
  • COS Meeting Materials (1977, March-June 1978) – information reviewed bycommittee members in preparation for COS meetings.

CorrespondenceSeries – Box 2
  • COS General Correspondence (1977)
  • COS General Correspondence (1978)
  • COS General Correspondence (1979)
  • COS General Correspondence (1980-1981)

COSReport Series – Box 2
  • NFMA Hearing in Juneau, Alaska, 27 July 1977 (1975, 1977, n.d.) –includes testimony before the COS by concerned citizens, companyrepresentatives, and conservation groups; supporting reports and articlesrelating to the multiple-use management of national forests in Alaska.
  • Versions of 8/31/78 NFMA Regulations (1978) – comments and reviews offorest management regulations; draft copies of regulations published in the 31August 1978 edition of the Federal Register.
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations Discussed at COS Meeting, 1/16-18/1978, inPhoenix, Arizona (October 1977-February 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Diversity (1979, 1978)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Fish and Wildlife Resources –Drafts and Comments (October-November 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Harvesting Schedules – Drafts andComments (December 1977, 1978, January 1979, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Use of Interdisciplinary Approach inMultiple Use Planning -- Drafts and Comments (June-December 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Planning for Use of Lands NotSuitable for Timber Harvesting – Drafts and Comments (July-December 1978,1979, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Management of Mineral Resources –Drafts and Comments (October-December 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Public Participation in USFS Planning– Drafts and Comments (1978, February 1979, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Range Management Planning – Draftsand Comments (1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Outdoor Recreation Planning –Drafts and Comments (1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Regional Planning – Drafts andComments (March 1976, October-December 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Research Monitoring and Control –Drafts and Comments (October 1978-January 1979, n.d.) – information relatingto research on and monitoring of the effects of management plans on forestresources.
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Silvicultural Standards – Draftsand Comments (1972, 1976, 1978)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Maintaining Appealing VisualQualities – Comments (November 1978)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Protection of Water and SoilResources – Drafts and Comments (October-November 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Wilderness Planning – Drafts andComments (December 1977, 1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Transition Period Required BeforeFull Implementation of Regulations – Comments (October 1978)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Forest Planning Procedure – Draftsand Comments (1978, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Forest Planning Process – Draftsand Comments (October 1978, February 1979, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Resource Management Standards andGuidelines – Drafts and Comments (November 1978, January 1979, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations re Coordination Among GovernmentPrograms – Drafts and Comments (June-December 1978, February 1979, n.d.)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations – Comments on Draft by Wolf (1978?)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations – Comments on Draft by the Sierra Club(12/15/1978)
  • Proposed NFMA Regulations – Comments on Draft by the National ForestProducts Association (1/3/1979)
  • Spurr, Stephen H. “Scientific Issues Posed By the National ForestManagement Act.” (Prepared for presentation at the 1/7/1979 meeting of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science held in Houston, Texas.)
  • Statements re RARE II (1981, 1983, n.d.)
  • Notes re RPA and NFMA (1977)

COSReport Series (cont.) – Box 3
  • NFMA Legislative History (1976, 1978)
  • COS Final Report (1979) – contains notes, comments, article reprints,and outlines of regulations considered for and/or incorporated in the COS finalreport.
  • Notes re Organization and Content of COS Final Report (1978, 1979,n.d.)
  • “A Report of Ye Olde Committee of Scientists” (2/9/1979) – 150pages.
  • Final Report of the Committee of Scientists (2/9/1979; corrected2/22/1979) – 229 pages.
  • COS Final Report – Drafts and Comments (July-August 1978, n.d.)
  • Draft of COS Final Report (2/9/1979) – heavily edited; 151 pages.
  • COS Final Report – Drafts and Comments (May-August 1979)
  • Draft of COS Report (1978) – contains hand-written comments concerningedits for the report.
  • Comments for COS Report (1978) – correspondence and comments fromindustry executives, conservationists, and environmentalists about the COSreport.
  • “Draft Report of the Committee of Scientists to the Secretary ofAgriculture Regarding Regulations Proposed by the U.S. forest Service toImplement Section 6 of the Renewable Resources Planning Act, as Amended”(12/22/1978) – 119 pages.
  • COS Final Report – Executive Summary – Drafts (January-February 1979)– contains executive summary analysis of public comment on the proposed rulesfor national forest system land and resource management planning.
  • Definitions Used in COS Report (1978, n.d.) – contains notes about thespecific language to be included in the report.
  • Introduction and Outline for COS Report (1979-1978) – contains aworking draft of regulations and a “December 29, 1978, Working Paper forForest Service Manual 1920,” ca. 155 pages.
  • COS Technical Review of Draft Regulations (2/6/1979) – contains a229-page report of the COS sent to Bob Bergland at the U.S. Department ofAgriculture on this date.
  • National Forest System Resource Planning – Drafts and Comments(March-April 1978) – contains multiple draft versions and comments about adocument titled “Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National ForestSystem Resource Planning.”
  • National Forest System Resource Planning – Drafts, Comments, Reports(1976-1977) – contains notes and drafts of reports concerning implementationof the RPA, the role of regional planning the U.S. Forest Service, and NFMAregulations.
  • USFS Regional Planning (January 1978) – contains 192-page draft study.

COSReport Series (cont.) – Box 4
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(1973-1977)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(January-March 1978)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(May-July 1978)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(August-September 1978)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(October-November 1978)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(December 1978)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(March-June 1979)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(July-August 1979)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(September-December 1979)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – General(1980-1981, n.d.)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – Land &Resource Management Regulations as Required by NFMA (1967, June-August 1977)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – Land &Resource Management Regulations as Required by NFMA (September-October 1977)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – Land &Resource Management Regulations as Required by NFMA (November 1977-February1978)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – Land &Resource Management Regulations as Required by NFMA (March, September, December1978; January 1979; n.d.)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – TimberHarvest Scheduling (June 1976, May-August 1977)

COSReport Series (cont.) – Box 5
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – TimberHarvest Scheduling (September-December 1977)
  • Supporting Documents Reviewed for National Forest Planning – TimberHarvest Scheduling (1978, September-October 1979, n.d.)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science Symposium on NFMAheld 1979 in Houston, Texas (June-July 1979, n.d.) – Art Cooper, as chair ofthe COS, was invited to speak at a workshop on U.S. Forest Service regulationssponsored by the American Bar Association at this meeting.
  • U.S.F.S. Land Management Training Program (September 1979)
  • U.S.F.S. Forest Service Manual – New Directives for Land and ResourceManagement Planning (March 1980)
  • Review of DYNAMUSE System Dynamics Model (October 1983) – Art Cooper,as chair of the COS, was invited to review this program developed by Dr. StephenBoyce for analyzing the likely effects of forest management activities.
  • Review of NFMA Land and Resource Management Planning Regulations(2/22/1982)

COSActivity During the Reagan Administration Series – Box 5
  • The Reagan Administration’s Reassessment of NFMA Regulations –Comments (February-March 1982)
  • The Reagan Administration’s Reassessment of NFMA Regulations –Comments (April-May 1982)

COSActivity During the Reagan Administration Series (cont.) – Box 6
  • The Reagan Administration’s Reassessment of NFMA Regulations –Comments (June 1982)
  • The Reagan Administration’s Reassessment of NFMA Regulations –Comments (July 1982)
  • The Reagan Administration’s Reassessment of NFMA Regulations –Comments (August-October 1982, n.d.)
  • Comments from Society of American Foresters’ RPA Task Force reReview of 1985 RPA Program (November 1986-February 1987, n.d.)
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Last update: 5 October 2004.

(c) Forest History Society, 2004.