Inventory of the Board of Forestry Records
Processed by Meghan Kane and Archives staff
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/
© 2011
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Board of Forestry Records
Collection numbers: R161; F3849
California State Archives
Office of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- Meghan Kane
- Date Completed:
- January 2011
- Encoded by:
- Lisa DeHope
© 2011 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Board of Forestry Records
Dates: 1885-2002
Collection numbers: R161; F3849
Creator:
Board of Forestry
Collection Size:
1001 file folders and 4 volumes
Repository:
California State Archives
Abstract: The records of the Board of Forestry cover 1885-2002, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period from the late
1970s through the 1990s. There are fourteen series including Minutes, W.S. Rosecrans Papers, Organization and Policy Files,
Miscellaneous Files, Meeting Files, Chronological Correspondence, Rulemaking Files, Committee Files, Meeting Agendas, Board
Meeting Monthly Binders, Permail Files, District Techinical Advisory Committee Files, Mass Mailings, and Publication Notice
Files.
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 Records, [Collection Number].[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 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 and Fire Protection
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
California. State Board of Forestry
California. Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
Logging
Forests and forestry Fire management
F3849:1-18, 1690
Series 1
Minutes
1885-1892,
1931,
1934,
1939,
1943-1960,
1965
Physical Description: 1 volume and 18 file folders.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Minutes (original and transcript) of original Board of Forestry, April 1, 1885-December 10, 1892. Included in the back cover
of the volume is a newspaper clipping, press release, and photograph of the original minute book being turned over to the
State Archives after it was found in a cabin near Mokelumne Hill in 1968.
Minutes of the December 17, 1931 meeting deal with a report of the California Labor Camp Committee and the progress and activities
of the labor camps to date. The minutes detail camp regulations, list status of camps in operation, and other information
of camp organization and procedures.
Minutes from 1944-1957 are more uniform in content. Minutes include resolutions, reports, correspondence, and other attachments
pertinent to the minutes of a specific meeting. Filed with the minutes for 1945 is a report of a Special Committee on Resolutions
regarding resolutions passed by former boards from 1920-1943. The resolutions are included as an index to Board of Forestry
minutes, 1920-1943.
Also present are the minutes of the regular meeting and 75th Anniversary Commemorative Extraordinary Session held on September
30, 1960, at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. They include a meeting program, letters of acceptance or
decline, minutes, and proceedings.
F3849:19-65, 1693-1701
Series 2
W.S. Rosecrans Papers
1943-1958
1963
Physical Description: 53 file folders and 3 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically and alphabetically by subject.
Scope and Content Note
W.S. Rosecrans was first appointed to the Board of Forestry on January 10, 1944, as Chairman and continued in that office
until his resignation in February 1957. The files include letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, reports, minutes,
and other records relating to Board meetings and agenda items. Subject matter in this series includes correspondence with
and recommendations to Governor Earl Warren on appointments to the Board made in January 1944; recommending the appointment
of DeWitt Nelson as Deputy State Forester; legislative proposals; invitations to attend various functions; development of
a comprehensive forest practices policy (1944-1945); proposed reorganization of Division of Forestry (1944); county cooperative
fire agreements and policies; allocation of Clarke-McNary funds; recommendations, appointments, and first meeting (November
9, 1945) of District Forest Practices Committee as established under the Forest Practices Act (
Statutes 1945, chapter 85); legislation and hearings regarding establishment of Forest Practices Act; proposed forest acquisition
policy (1946); control burning; adoption of rules for forest districts; The Forest Situation in California, report to the
Legislature by the Forestry Study Committee (
Statutes 1943, chapter 1086), May 1945; Fire Prevention Committee minutes (July 18, 1947, November 18, 1947); proposed purchase of
Caspar Lumber Company, Boggs Mountain Track, Lake County, and Jackson State Forest lands for a state forest (1946-1947); brushland
and range management policies; Range Advisory Committee (November 17, 1949); federal control of private forest lands, Forest
Purchase Committee (February 11, 1949); forest taxation; conservation education; Range Improvement Advisory Committee meetings;
brush burning; Conservation Association of Southern California; deforestation and soil erosion in Spain; and resignation from
the Board.
This series also includes subject files on: Attorney General Opinions regarding Board requests, actions, legislation and miscellaneous
memoranda concerning litigation in which the Board is a party, 1955-1957 (2FF); Caspar Lumber Company - appraisal reports
and other documents, indexed, on lands to be accepted for State Forest purposes, 1946-1947 (1FF); Forestry Study Committee,
California (
Statutes 1943, chapter 1086) - minutes, statements before hearings, correspondence, proposed legislation, background information,
outline of proposed report regarding survey of forests in California and their use, preservation, and management, 1944 (2FF);
Jackson State Forest - negotiations and drafts of exchange of Right of Way between Union Lumber Company and State Division
of Forestry, 1953 (2FF); Legislature - statements, reports and background information presented before joint hearings of Senate
Interim Public Lands, Assembly Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Range, and State Board of Forestry on forestry management
problems, programs, and progress, November 6-8, 1952 (1FF); Mid-Century Conference on Resources for the Future (Washington,
D.C.) - miscellaneous correspondence, press releases regarding conference organization, 1953-1954 (1FF), Task VIII, Timber
Resource Review of Productivity of cut over timber lands, program coordinated by U.S. Forest Service, 1954 (1 volume); and
1956 Fire Plan and Fire Control Manual (2 volumes).
F3849:1702-1703
Series 3
Organization and Policy Files
1944-1945,
1967
Physical Description: 2 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Synopsis of resolutions made by the Board from 1920-1943, an explanation of the Board's powers, and the findings of the Policy
Review Task Force comprised of CDF employees. The Task Force studied the Board's policies along with recommendations by the
Task Force.
F3849:66, 1704
Series 4
Miscellaneous Files
1887-1889,
1893-1930,
1965-1966
Physical Description: 2 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged generally in chronological order.
Scope and Content Note
Miscellaneous pamphlets, appointments, articles and correspondence concerning the Board of Forestry. Included are an 1889
appointment made to the Board by Governor Robert Waterman and a reprint of an article titled "The California State Board of
Forestry, 1893-1930",
Southern California Quarterly (September 1965), with "A Letter to the Editor," by C. Raymond Clar (March 1966).
R161.1. Box 1, folder 1 - Box 25, folder 12.
Series 5
Meeting Files
August 1919 - November 1989
Physical Description: 516 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting Files include meeting agendas and announcements, some meeting minutes and transcripts, articles and information about
issues discussed at the monthly meetings. Topics addressed in these meeting files include logging practices, pest information
and policy decisions, fire prevention techniques, timber harvesting plans and forester licensing.
R161.2. Box 25, folder 13 - Box 29, folder 18.
Series 6
Chronological Correspondence
January 1976 - December 1989
Physical Description: 98 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by month.
Scope and Content Note
Series includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Board of Forestry. It includes constituent correspondence,
professional correspondence, and letters of support or opposition to certain Board of Forestry policies. There is correspondence
to and from environmental groups, timber organizations, loggers and registered professional foresters. The majority of the
constituent correspondence is from residents in the northern counties of the state who were opposed to logging in certain
areas.
R161.3. Box 29, folder 19 - Box 31, folder 10.
Series 7
Rulemaking Files
1975-1986
Physical Description: 67 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by topic.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains information about various rule changes the Board of Forestry made from 1975-1986. Topics included are
administrative regulations, fire protection, logging practices, organization and operation and silvicultural systems. The
most complete information available is about water quality control and Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act, that requires area waste treatment management plans be prepared for areas of each state designated by its Governor which
have substantial water quality control problems.
R161.4. Box 31, folders 11-19.
Series 8
Committee Files
1939,
1958-1975
Physical Description: 9 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by name of committee.
Scope and Content Note
Files contain documents relating to the function of several committees within the Board of Forestry. The committees in this
series are the Advisory Committee on Forest Research, the Alternate Plan Research Task Force, the Editorial Committee, the
Forest Practice Act Emergency Regulations Committee, the Forest Practice and Environmental Protection Committee, Forester
Licensing Committee and the Organization and Policy Committee.
R161.5. Box 31, folder 20 - Box 32, folder 3.
Series 9
Meeting Agendas
1984-1998
Physical Description: 8 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
Files contain meeting agendas for the Board of Forestry'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. This series is
continued under the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records as series identification number R162.1.
R161.6. Box 32, folder 7 - Box 39, folder 17
Series 10
Board Meeting Monthly Binders
January 1993-November 1997.
Physical Description: 157 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by month.
Scope and Content Note
Series includes meeting agendas, newspaper articles, publications, memoranda and correspondence pertaining to the monthly
Board of Forestry meetings. However, there are no records for the months November 1995 to August 1996. There are very few
files for December of any year. This series is continued under the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records as series
identification number R162.2.
R161.7. Box 46, folder 17 - Box 49, folder 13
Series 11
Premail Files
April 1995 - November 1997
Physical Description: 62 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by month.
Scope and Content Note
Premail Files consist of articles and announcements sent out prior the Board of Forestry'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 continued
under the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Records as series identification number R162.3.
R161.8. Box 53, folder 1-4
Series 12
District Technical Advisory Committee Files
1991-1992
Physical Description: 4 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by name of regional committee.
Scope and Content Note
The District Technical Advisory Committee (DTAC) was composed of scientists and agency representatives that oversaw the literature
review of scientific articles related to forest management effects on anadromous salmonids (salmon). There are regional subcommittees
of DTAC and the files are organized accordingly. The subcommittees include the Coast Technical Advisory Committee, the Northern
Technical Advisory Committee, and the Southern Technical Advisory Committee.
R161.9. Box 53, folders 5-6
Series 13
Mass Mailings
July 1997 - December 1997
Physical Description: 2 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 to
interested parties prior to Board meetings. These files also contain articles on the logging and timber harvesting practices
in California, service orders, and meeting announcements. This series is continued under the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
Records as series identification number R162.4.
R161.10. Box 54, folders 4-6
Series 14
Publication Notice Files
September 1997 - February 2002
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Files contain copies of notices published in local newspapers to notify residents of proposed changes to the Board of Forestry's
rules and practices. There are also notices giving the required 45-day notice for policy changes and hearings to be conducted
by the Board of Forestry. These notices were submitted to the Daily Journal Corporation and published in the (Sacramento)
Daily Recorder , the (Los Angeles)
Daily Commerce, Marin County
Recorder, Orange County
Recorder, Riverside
Business Journal, San Diego
Commerce, San Francisco
Daily Journal, San Jose
Post-Record, Sonoma County
Herald-Recorder, the Los Angeles
Daily Journal and the (Oakland)
Inter-City Express.