Inventory of the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records

Processed by Meghan Kane

California State Archives

1020 "O" Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Phone: (916) 653-2246

Fax: (916) 653-7363

Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Inventory of the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records

Collection number: R162

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Processed by:: Meghan Kane
Date Completed:: January 2011
Encoded by:: Lisa DeHope

Descriptive Summary

Title: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records

Dates: 1998-2006

Collection number: R162

Creator: Board of Forestry and Fire Proection

Collection Size: 249 file folders

Repository: California State Archives

Sacramento, California

Abstract: On January 1, 1998 the Board of Forestry became the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection through an amendment to the Public Resources Code. The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection records cover the years 1998-2006 and are arranged into four series: Meeting Agendas; Board Meeting Monthly Binders; Premail Files; and Mass Mailings.

Physical location: California State Archives

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, R162.[Series Number], [box and folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition and Custodial History

The California State Archives acquired the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records according to state law.

Administrative History

A State Board of Forestry was first created in 1885 (chapter 11) consisting of three persons appointed to four-year terms by the Governor. The Board was authorized to collect and disseminate statistics in regard to forestry and tree culture, to make investigations, enforce and carry out national and state forestry laws, and other responsibilities. The first Board was legislated out of existence in 1893 (chapter 187) and its property turned over to the Agricultural Department of the University of California. Maintenance of established forestry experimental stations was also transferred to the University's Agricultural Department.

A new State Board of Forestry was created in 1905 (chapter 264) consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and State Forester, to supervise all matters of state forest policy and management. The office of the State Forester, created by the same act, was to serve as Executive Officer of the board. In 1919 the membership of the board was changed to five persons, the State Forester and four others with specific qualifications in the areas of timber, livestock, grain and hay industries, and one at large (chapter 544).

With the creation of a Department of Natural Resources, the State Board of Forestry became the policy making body for the division ( Statutes 1927, Chapter 128). Each member represented one of the following industries: pine-producing, redwood producing, forest land ownership, range livestock, agriculture and water, and one member from the general public at large ( Statutes 1945, Chapter 316). The State Board nominated the State Forester, who was appointed by the director as Chief of the Division of Forestry.

On January 1, 1998 the Board of Forestry became the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection through an amendment to the Public Resources Code. Chapter 2.5, Article 2, Statute 730 states "on and after January 1, 1998, wherever any reference is made in any law to the State Board of Forestry in the department, the reference shall be deemed to be a reference to, and to mean, the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection."

The board remained responsible for developing the general forest policy for the state, aiding in the development of the guiding policies of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and for representing the State's interest in federal forestland in California.

In its current manifestation, all members of the board are appointed by the Governor based on their professional and educational qualifications and general interest in problems relating to watershed management, forest management, fish and wildlife, range improvement, forest economics, and/or land use policy. The Board's mission is to lead California in developing policies and programs that serve the public interest in environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable management of forest and rangelands, and a fire protection system that protects and serves the people of the state.

Scope and Content

The records of the Board of Forestry cover the majority of the twentieth century, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period from the late 1970s through the 1990s. The Board of Forestry records illustrate the changes in the forestry industry over time, timber policy, fire prevention, pest and disease prevention and logging areas.

The first and largest series, Meeting Files, begins in 1919. These files contain some of the earliest Board of Forestry meeting agendas, board information, policies and rosters. The Meeting Files relate to the monthly board meetings from August 1919 to November 1989. The most complete files are those for the 1970s and 1980s. Most of the meeting files from 1973 onward contain a discussion of the Forest Practice Act. This act, passed in 1973, gave the Board of Forestry the authority to regulate logging on privately owned land in the state and the ability to enforce forest protection policies. The Forest Practice Act formed the basis for the board's policy decisions. In the late 1980s, specifically 1987, the Board of Forestry spent several board meetings discussing different tree diseases and pest infestations.

The Board Meeting Monthly Binders series span from January 1993 to May 2002 and contain articles, statements, agendas and correspondence relating to the monthly board meetings. There are several articles about forest fires throughout California and the growing problem of marijuana cultivation in the north coast of the state.

Throughout the Board of Forestry records there is information specific to Lake Tahoe including fire prevention, bark beetle infestation, and efforts to preserve the area. There is also information in several different series specific to logging in Mendocino and Humboldt counties.

The Board of Forestry became the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection on January 1, 1998 through an amendment to the Public Resources Code. All the records created when the board was known as the Board of Forestry have an R161 number while the records created after the January 1, 1998 name change have an R162 number. Some series, like the Premail files series, have two different R numbers.

Related Collections at the California State Archives

Board of Forestry

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

California. Board of Forestry and Fire Protection

California. State Board of Forestry

Forests and forestry Fire management

R162.1. Box 32, folders 4-6

Series 1 Meeting Agendas January 1998-June 2004

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

Files contain meeting agendas from the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's monthly board meetings. Each agenda outlines the topics for the monthly board meetings including timber harvesting plans, pest control, tree diseases and fire prevention. These records continued the series R161.5 (Meeting Agendas) of the Board of Forestry.

R162.2. Box 39, folder 18 - Box 46, folder 16

Series 2 Board Meeting Monthly Binders January 1999 - May 2002

Physical Description: 146 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by month.

Scope and Content Note

This series includes meeting agendas, newspaper articles, publications, memoranda, and correspondence relating to the monthly Board of Forestry and Fire Protection meetings. There are several articles detailing forest fires throughout California and the state's response. In the file for the June 1999 board meeting monthly binder there is a separation sheet. This series is a continuation of the Board Meeting Monthly Binders (series R 161.6) within the records of the Board of Forestry.

R162.3. Box 49, folder 14 - Box 52, folder 22

Series 3 Premail Files January 1998 - December 2002

Physical Description: 81 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by year.

Scope and Content Note

Premail Files consist of articles and announcements sent out before the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's monthly board meetings. The information covers topics such as logging practices, timber harvesting and fire prevention. There are several articles about fires throughout California. The topics included in the premail were discussed at the following month's board meeting. This series is a continuation of the Premail Files (series R161.7) within the records of the Board of Forestry.

R162.4. Box 53, folder 7 - Box 54, folder 3

Series 4 Mass Mailings January 1998 - December 2006

Physical Description: 19 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

The mass mailings include articles, meeting information, agendas and policy updates sent out by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to interested parties. These files also contain articles on the logging and timber harvesting practices in California, service orders and meeting announcements. These mass mailings were sent out to members of the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and its constituents.