By Jack M. Willis
Journal Correspondent

There are few still alive who can remember when one could stand on a pine stump just west of Alexandria, Louisiana, fix his gaze to the west out over a sea of stumps punctuating a vast barrenness, and be able to see all the way to De Ridder, Louisiana.

Today, in the era of computerized mills and paper mills, plus huge fiberglass-cab semis pulling tandem trailers capable of hauling in excess of 44 tons of paper wood per load, does anyone related to timber production and/or harvesting ever stop to wonder how this seemingly inexhaustible supply of paper wood and saw logs came about, particularly now in a global economy?

This abundance was not an accident. It was by design and execution. Reforestation was accomplished by a host of talented individuals, who had their eyes on the future of the timber industry, and the ability to see the future of the country as a whole. The timber barons' practices of clear cutting the virgin forests of the United States, primarily in the South, had reaped huge profits for a quarter-century, but now it was time to pay the piper.

Thus, men of vision--the list reads like an honor roll of reforestation. George W. Vanderbilt hired Gifford Pinchot as a forester for his Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. Louisiana's own Henry Hardtner linked up with Samuel T. Dana of the U.S. Forest Service, who saw in 1915 that the need for forestry research was becoming apparent, and established large research plots on Hardtner's own reserve at Urania, LA. In 1917, Yale University School of Forestry began sending its graduating classes to Urania for three months of practical training.

In 1921, the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture established the Southern and Appalachian Forest Experiment Stations at New Orleans, LA and Asheville, NC. A few other pioneering researchers joined the first two Stations, but little progress was noted until the Congressional passage of the McSweeny-McNary Forest Research Act of 1928. Reforestation guidelines were being formulated, and about to be implemented in an era when the mining and industrial moguls' sole motto had been, "Cut out and get out!"

The Southern Forest Experiment Station at New Orleans accomplished what would become a monumental acquisition, when in 1924 they hired a recent graduate of the first four-year school of forestry in the United States at Cornell University. His name was Phillip C. Wakely, who received his B.S. in 1923 and his M.F. in 1925. He was given a task of which resulted in the Herculean accomplishment in reforestation research.

Phil Wakeley's research programs were largely responsible for developing seed, seedling, and tree planting technology still in use today. When Wakeley retired in 1964, he presented to the station a personal history of the early development of the Southern Forest Experiment Station. This document provides a fascinating insight to the establishment and development of forestry research in the South, along with a record of accomplishments made by the early cadre of forest researchers.

In 1964 the reforestation mantle that Wakely wore during his tenure was transferred to Dr. James P. Barnett, who today, some 40 years later, retains the title of Project Leader, Research Forester, USDA Forest Service at the Southern Research Station located at Pineville, LA. It was through his cooperation that this article was properly documented for The Piney Woods Journal.

As a young scientist Dr. Jim Barnett had the pleasure of working with and publishing the results (Wakeley and Barnett) of a seed storage project. Dr. Barnett recalled, "I had a particular appreciation of the works performed by Wakeley, and as a result of his mentoring, I was able to refine and expand the forestry technologies he developed over a 40-year span."

When Phil Wakeley became Temporary Field Assistant at the Southern Station in New Orleans, his boss was Reginald D. Forbes, who had been State Forester of Louisiana prior to becoming the Southern Station Director, a post he held from 1921 to 1927. His responsibility was to oversee reforestation all across the Deep South.

The Great Southern Lumber Company headquartered in Bogalusa, LA, owned by the Dupont family, sent members of their management staff to Urania to observe the unheard-of forestry practices Henry Hardtner had initiated, and as a result hired J.K. Johnson who was one of the first industrial foresters in the country. Phil Wakeley worked hand in hand with Johnston and under their direction; they initiated much forestry research which resulted in much new preliminary data being contributed to the relatively new field of reforestation.

The primary reason that reforestation was ultimately successful, was that the unlimited harvest of century-old forests had finally run its course, and the only industry remaining was reforestation. Another factor that contributed much to replenishing of denuded timber lands was that because of the Great Depression, thousands of Civilian Conversation Corps enlistees were readily available to establish nurseries, nurture the seedlings, and get them ready for planting by fellow CCC members.

A relatively unpublicized factor contributed much to early reforestry efforts was that the personnel became mechanized, with the purchases of Model T automobiles in the late 20's, transitioning from the antiquated cars to gear-shift autos in the early 30's. This move dovetailed with Governor Huey Long's ever-expanding network of paved highways, which brought the forestry staff's centers of field work nearer. Another innovation was the use of cameras to assist in the documentation of field projects.

The reforesting efforts up to the mid 20s depended upon foresters from the northern states for information and advice. Louisiana State University would not have a bona fide forestry curriculum until 1936. These early re-foresting pioneers had the task of replanting the over 90 million acres of longleaf pines which were for the most part, clear cut. Today only three to four million acres of longleaf timber remain in the United States.

Reforestation came into its own, and moved to the forefront in the 1940's. Under the G.I. Bill educational incentives were provided for veterans, and the State and Federal Governments began hiring college and trade school graduates for forestry-related projects. The 1950s produced an unprecedented era of collaboration and cooperation of government, corporate and private landowners, sharing knowledge and resources, aimed at reforesting lands regardless of ownership.

Louisiana led the nation in reforestation efforts by utilizing direct seeding methods, plus seed coating to deter rodents and birds from scavenging the newly planted seeds. The face of the nation was literally being changed.

When Dr. James P. Barnett came on board at the Southern Experiment Station, and ultimately to the Alexandria Forestry Center in Pineville, his primary focus was on regeneration of longleaf pine, which under his direction, after much research and study, has finally been accomplished.

The first indelible lesson he learned was that every aspect of handling longleaf--gleaning the seeds, planting them and harvesting the seedlings, is exceedingly difficult.

It would seem that the use of fire as a nurturing tool vof long leaf pines, would be non-productive, but not true!

Nature's lightning strikes generated forest fires and the Native Americans knew that periodic arson improved game habitat and did away with undesirable underbrush. Fire is a natural ally of the long leaf pine, but it kills other species of pine seedlings, such as slash and loblolly varieties.

One of the main reasons for pursuing long leaf pine production is that it furnishes a more desirable wood product, and is more resistant to insects and disease. Today long leaf seedlings can be gotten into a high growth mode in two years, where formerly it sometimes took up to eight years to get them off and growing.

These accelerated growth cycles of seedlings was just one of the accomplishments of the Alexandria Forestry Center and one of the oldest nurseries in the nation, that being the Stuart Nursery located just off Louisiana Highway 8 between Pollock and Bentley in Grant Parish. Under Dr. James Barnett's direction tremendous strides have been made in preserving seeds until planting by freezing, and accelerating the growth stage of seedlings to get them out of the "grass" stage much sooner.

The Alexandria Forestry Center has been the bedrock of reforestation in the United States, and under Jim Barnett's able direction, many more obstacles will be overcome and breakthroughs will occur relating to the re-establishment of timber as it was in the days of yore.

Back