Finding Aid to the Harold H. Biswell Papers
Jessica Tai
The Bancroft Library
2023
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
bancref@library.berkeley.edu
Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Harold H. Biswell papers
Creator:
Biswell, Harold H. (Harold Hubert)
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 2002/67c
Physical Description:
18.75 linear feet
(13 cartons, 3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1917-1992
Date (bulk): 1950-1980
Abstract: Contains photographs, articles, reports, booklets, survey and research material, theses, and other material related to Harold
H. Biswell's research in controlled burning and forest ecology.
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection open for research.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Harold Biswell Jr., 2001-2002.
Biographical / Historical
Harold Hubert Biswell (1905-1992) was appointed to the faculty of the School of Forestry at the University of California,
Berkeley from 1947 to 1973. Biswell earned his doctorate in plant ecology from the University of Nebraska. Biswell was a researcher,
teacher, and advocate of the use of prescribed burning for fire management. In 1989, he wrote the book,
Prescribed Burning in California Wildlands Vegetation Management.
Indigenous peoples were the first to use controlled burns for managing vegetation and wildlife habitats. These practices were
disrupted by European colonization and forced relocation of Indigenous communities, as well as forester's misinformed perception
that controlled burns were ecologically harmful, and economic interests of lumber companies which favored fire suppression.
Despite opposition and direct criticism, Biswell continually advocated for developing new policies for prescribed burning.
Biswell staked his academic reputation on demonstrating that prescribed burns improved ecosystem health and reduced wildfire
threats. The Forest Service began to examine its fire exclusion policy in the early 1970's, and in 1978 the national policy
was changed to encompass total fire management including
prevention, suppression, and use.
Preferred Citation
Harold H. Biswell papers (BANC MSS 2002/67c), The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Jessica Tai in 2023. Materials were rehoused in archival boxes and described at the file level.
Scope and Contents
This collection reflects Harold Biswell's association with controlled burning and forest ecology. Materials include photographs
and slides of controlled burns and survey images of California forests, chaparral, and ranches. The collection also contains
articles by Biswell and others, reports, booklets, survey and research material, School of Forestry theses, and other material
related to controlled burning and forest ecology.
Conditions Governing Use
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Arrangement
Collection is arranged and described at the file level.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Faculty papers
Fire ecology
Fire management
Forests and forestry -- Fire management
Forest fires--California
Forest fires--California--Prevention and control
Forest fires -- Environmental aspects
Parks -- Fire management
Photographs
Prescribed burning
Rangelands -- Fire management
Wilderness areas -- California -- Photographs
Wilderness areas -- Fire management
Yosemite National Park (Calif.)
Biswell, Harold H. (Harold Hubert)
University of California, Berkeley. School of Forestry and Conservation
University of California (1868-1952)--Faculty
University of California, Berkeley--Faculty
Whitaker's Forest Cooperative Natural Resources Research Station (Calif.)
carton 1, folder 1
Personal philosophy
approximately 1944-1953
carton 1, folder 2
Biographical summary, resumes, awards
approximately 1942-1971
carton 1, folder 3-5
Correspondence
approximately 1948-1977
carton 1, folder 6
Speeches
approximately 1958-1980
carton 1, folder 7
Articles by others
approximately 1923-1975
carton 1, folder 8
Articles by Harold Weaver
1956-1981
carton 1, folder 9
Articles by Biswell: California Fish and Game
1953-1961
carton 1, folder 10
Articles by Biswell: California Agriculture
1955-1969
carton 1, folder 11-15
Writings by Biswell
approximately 1939-1980
carton 1, folder 16
"Working plans": project plans and reports
approximately 1949-1964
carton 1, folder 17
"Brush burning, brush range"
approximately 1951-1970
carton 1, folder 18
"San Joaquin range studies"
approximately 1950
carton 1, folder 19
"Range Advisory to State Board of Forestry"
approximately 1960-1968
carton 1, folder 20
"State Board of Forestry"
approximately 1947-1969
carton 1, folder 21
Controlled burning: techniques and guidelines
approximately 1968-1981
carton 2, folder 1-8
Booklets, pamphlets, and publications on fire behavior and management
approximately 1939-1988
carton 2, folder 9
Agee, James: master's thesis
1968
carton 2, folder 10
Cotton, Aylett Lindley: master's thesis
1969
carton 2, folder 11
Kilgore, Bruce: doctoral thesis
1968
carton 2, folder 12
Papanastasis, Vasilios: doctoral thesis
1971
carton 2, folder 13
van Wagtendonk, Jan W.: doctoral thesis
1970
carton 3, folder 1-5
Photographs and reports: prescribed burns on the Colville Indian Reservation, southern pine, ponderosa pine and mixed conifer
forests
approximately 1942-1973
carton 3, folder 6
Press Releases: UC Division of Agricultural Science
approximately 1960-1965
carton 3, folder 7-8
Clippings on fire hazards and controlled burns
approximately 1957-1973
carton 3, folder 9-10
"Materials on Whitaker's Forest"
approximately 1955-1975
carton 3, folder 11
Forage and seedling measurements at Hoberg's Resort
1957-1964
carton 3, folder 12
Tehama Winter Deer Range: data and photographs
approximately 1966-1972
carton 3, folder 12-14
Fire management in California state parks
approximately 1968-1983
Scope and Contents
Material on state parks including Calaveras Big Trees and Cuyamaca Rancho.
carton 3, folder 15
National parks
approximately 1970
carton 3, folder 16
Yosemite National Park
approximately 1969-1973
carton 3, folder 17
Point Reyes National Seashore
approximately 1975
carton 3, folder 18
Management and purchasing plans for Golden Gate National Recreation Area
approximately 1974
carton 4, folder 1-3
Materials on air and smoke pollution
approximately 1970s-1980s
carton 4, folder 5
Photographs: woodlands and chaparral
approximately 1950s-1970s
carton 4, folder 6
Newsletters: forestry
approximately 1970s-1980s
carton 4, folder 7
Rough drafts: articles
approximately 1980s
carton 4, folder 8
Writings by Biswell
approximately 1960s-1970s
carton 4, folder 9
Doctoral thesis by Biswell
1935
carton 4, folder 10
Articles
approximately 1930s-1980s
carton 4, folder 11-12
Publications
approximately 1930s-1980s
carton 4, folder 13
Testimony in Dow Chemical vs. EPA
1981
carton 4, folder 14-16
Reports and management plans
1967-1980
carton 4, folder 17
Consultation in Greece
approximately 1970
carton 4, folder 18
Surveys of Standard Oil Company grazing lands
approximately 1950s
carton 4, folder 19
"Post retirement consulting"
approximately 1950s
carton 4, folder 20
"Your Boy Paul," Letters of Paul Trauger Culbertson to his mother, from France October 1917 – May 1919
1992
carton 5, folder 1
Correspondence: Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, State and National Park Services
approximately 1949-1975
carton 5, folder 2
Correspondence: UC
approximately 1948-1980
carton 5, folder 3
UC Extension course evaluations
1976
carton 5, folder 4-8
Articles and papers
approximately 1950s-1980s
carton 5, folder 10-11
Bulletins
approximately 1924-1970
carton 5, folder 13
Guestbook: Whitaker's Forest
1966-1974
carton 5, folder 14-15
Timber, the annual publication of the forestry students of the University of California, Berkeley
1970-1985
carton 5, folder 16
Reports
approximately 1950-1992
carton 5, folder 18
Notes
approximately 1950s-1970s
carton 6, folder 1
Lightning fire and Indian prescribed burning
approximately 1942-1982
carton 6, folder 2-4
Wildfires and fire hazards
approximately 1961-1987
carton 6, folder 5
Fire ecology and management
approximately 1952-1984
carton 6, folder 6-7
Courses and field trips
approximately 1950s-1980s
carton 6, folder 8
Range Management 1st edition by Harold Biswell, Greek translation
1962
carton 6, folder 9
Range Management 2nd edition by Harold Biswell, Greek translation
1971
carton 6, folder 10
Effects of Brush Removal on Game Ranges: quarterly progress reports
1947-1957
carton 6, folder 11-15
Whitaker's Forest: research proposals, reports, photographs, Horace Whitaker biographical material
approximately 1950s-1970s
carton 7, folder 1-4
Whitaker's Forest: data, reports, photographs
approximately 1930s-1980s
carton 7, folder 6
Project 2220
approximately 1964-1970
carton 7, folder 7
Photographs from Prescribed Burning in California Wildlands Vegetation Management, UC Press
1989
carton 7, folder 8
Whitaker's Forest report by Woodbridge Metcalf
1940
carton 7, folder 9-17
Photographs and negatives: Hoberg's Resort and Teaford Forest
1951-1959
carton 8, folder 1-10
Photographs and negatives: Lake and Madera County Ranches, Mt. Diablo, Tehama Winter Deer Range, North Fork, Sequoia and King's
Canyon National Parks, San Joaquin Experimental Range
1917-1972
carton 8, folder 11-14
Photographs and negatives: Wright's Creek burn, before and after burns
1948-1972
carton 8, folder 1-5
Photographs and negatives: Wright's Creek burn, before and after burns
1948-1972
carton 9, folder 6-13
Photographs and negatives: Lake, Madera and Tulare County Ranches, Fine Gold Creek, King's Canyon and Yosemite National Parks,
Whitaker's Forest
1948-1972
carton 10, folder 1-9
Fresno and Madera County Ranches and Kadish Fertilizer Plots
1948-1979
carton 10, folder 10-16
Madera and San Benito County Ranches, Blodgett Forest
1948-1963
carton 11
4 x 5 negatives: numbers 1348-2950, DWH 1-46, JES 1-2, WF 6-71, photograph captions for HHB 2878-2927
approximately 1950s-1970s
carton 12
Slides: Berkeley Hills, British Columbia, forestry and forest fires, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National
Seashore, Tehama Winter Deer Range, Whitaker's Forest, Yosemite National Park
approximately 1950s-1970s
carton 13, folder 1-15
Photographs and negatives: forestry and forest fires
approximately 1950s-1980s
carton 13, folder 16
Slides: forest fires
1955-1971
box 1
Oversized rolled photographs from Harold Weaver
undated
box 2
Slides: Kadish plots, Pinnacles National Park, Whitaker's forest, Yosemite, and other locations
approximately 1960s-1970s
box 3
Slides: range management
approximately 1959-1979
