Interview with Ken Armson, Forest History Society of Ontario.
This spring saw the first newsletter of the newly created Forest History Society of Ontario (see attached). For those who do not know him, Ken Armson is one of the driving forces behind this group.
Ken Armson on a forest soils fieldtrip.
DB: Tell us a bit about yourself.
KA: I'm a professional forester. I graduated from the University of Toronto in 1951, and did graduate work at Oxford in tree nutrition (1954-55). My working career included 26 years teaching and research in Forest Soils and Silviculture in the Faculty of Forestry, U Of T (1952-1978); 11 years with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (1978-1989) and from 1989 to 2001 I acted as a consultant to provincial governments and forest industry, particularly involved with the Canadian Standards Association and development of standards for “sustainable forestry”.
I have published in the fields of forest soils and silviculture including a text (Forest Soils: properties and processes, U of T Press) and 100+ refereed papers. Since 1989 I have published two books – “Ontario Forests: a historical perspective”, 2001, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, and “ The Legacy of John Waldie and Sons: a history of the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company , 2007, Dundurn.
I have always been interested in history since my secondary school days in England and as a forester with an interest in soils I have had a wonderful set of opportunities to indulge in various aspects of forests and soils as sources of historical information.
DB: Why a provincial society in Ontario?
KA: As a long term member of the [American] Forest History Society, and knowing personally the founders of the BC and Alberta FH Associations I felt that it was about time that Ontario formed an organization. We have major changes, both actual and anticipated, in the provincial forest ministries and the forest industry with both real and anticipated losses of valuable records pertaining to Ontario’s forest history.
DB: Can you give us some examples of how a history perspective was important in your career?
KA: As a forester I am aware of having to assess the context and its nature of any forest I deal with. This includes three levels - the landscape, the microtopography and the forest structure itself. Of importance at each level is the nature and extent of documentation available.
The first example, is when I was a graduate student at Oxford in the mid 1950’s. I had the opportunity to become familiar with the NEW FOREST in Hampshire where documentation on land use went back to 1066 A.D. Archaeologically, there were records dating back to the Bronze, Iron and Roman ages and recent pollen analyses provided a record of the forest and vegetation changes during a period of more than a thousand years. An understanding of this set of historical events was of essential importance when assessing the nature of the soils and their properties in relation to the forest and its condition. This is why there is a chapter on the New Forest in my 1977 textbook on Forest Soils.
A second example is from southern Ontario in the course of my research on forest soils and tree growth, especially root development. In a study of the root development of red pine plantations in the interlobate Oak Ridges moraine I came across an “indian” midden. This led to my finding a fifty year-old report by the then provincial archaeologist who described a fortified Huron village site a few kilometers away. Subsequently I learned more about the extent of agriculture practiced by Huron, Petun and Neutral nations during the period from about 500 B.C. to 1650 A.D. in southern Ontario. With the onslaught on these nations by the Iroquois the lands reverted to forest, in many instances of pine, which when viewed by the early European settlers in the 1800’s who had to clear them became the source of the mythology of “virgin”, primeval forests. Much of these lands, first cleared by native peoples then subsequently by Europeans, was on hilly soils of sandy texture and therefore subject to wind and water erosion if exposed. The development of new forests since the 1920’s on these lands to a large degree would reflect these past histories of use and erosion.
DB: Why is the preservation and promulgation of forest history important?
KA: It is important because only by being knowledgeable of the history of the use and development of our forests and the landscape and soils on which they occur can we make intelligent decisions about their current and future development and uses. Too often an ignorance of past history leads to decisions which have unfortunate consequences, ecologically, socially and economically.
DB: Thanks to Ken for this virtual interview. The Society is currently holding a contest to name their newsletter, and the winner will receive a a free two-year subscription to the Society! Entries are due by October 31st, 2010.
The Society's website, www.ontarioforesthistory.ca is currently under construction, but in the meantime search for them on Facebook. For more information on the Forest History Society of Ontario, contact info@ontarioforesthistory.ca.
Download the Forest History Society of Ontario Newsletter [pdf]
Some thoughts on the changing role of photographs as a source of historical information
Q&A with Jill Delaney, PhD.
Archivist, Photography Acquisition and Research
Library and Archives Canada
Jill Delaney at work, Library and Archives Canada.
David B: Tell us a bit about yourself--would you describe yourself as a 'forest historian'? If not, how did you come to be involved with forest history?
Jill D: I am an archivist in the Photography Acquisition and Research section at Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa. I have been in this position for 12 years, following doctoral work in Art and
Architectural History and some freelance research work. So I am definitely not a 'forest historian'. However, in 2002 I became involved in what was then the Bridgland Repeat Photography Project
(now the Mountain Legacy Project). Dr. Eric Higgs, then at the University of Alberta, was trying to obtain copies of historic phototopographic images taken in Jasper National Park and other mountain sites by M.P. Bridgland for the Dominion Land Survey. We had acquired a very small number of images from the larger survey in the 1970s, but most of the glass plates were still under the custody of Natural Resources Canada. I arranged the legal transfer of the rest of these images - more than 60,000 glass plate negatives dating from 1887-1958 - from NRCan to the (then) National Archives of Canada. We then negotiated a more formal (and ongoing) partnership with MLP and the University of Victoria to provide high resolution scans of the plates as well as descriptions of the images which they could use in their repeat photography project. In turn, the project has provided resources for LAC to house this valuable and fragile collection properly, and to continue to conduct research into both these images and related archival collections. The image pairings are used by academics, graduate students, as well as forest management professionals to conduct a wide variety of analytical and comparative research on changes in a particular geographic area of interest. Other partners in the MLP include Parks Canada and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, as well as The Alberta Library. In 2008 we discovered that the British Columbia Museum and Archives holds a similar collection of images covering a large part of the mountain geography of that province during a similar period.
Jill Delaney, Eric Higgs and Trudi Smith near Waterton Lakes National Park. Photo Credit: Rob Watt, Retired Park Warden.
How has the Mountain Legacy Project helped to change your thoughts of photos as an historical source?
The Mountain Legacy Project was really my first serious encounter with using historical photographs for scientific research. Although we do have photographic collections which derive from scientific
sources or activities, it is also unfortunately the case that most scientists do not look to our collections as a source for scientific data. I sense that this is beginning to change a bit now, as scientists in general become more interested in using alternative sources of information for historical data, for example, farmer's journals as a source for historical weather data. Most archivists come from a background in history and cultural history, rather than the sciences, and so we either tend not to think of our collections as a source for scientific data, or we are somewhat nervous about assessing and selecting scientific records as we feel out of our depth in understanding the content, and possible long-term research value. I became excited about the prospects of the phototopographic images because I was approached by someone, Eric Higgs, who already had a deep interest in them, and because I soon saw that they would be of value to a wide variety of researchers, from forest management professionals, through people studying climate change, as well as ethnologists and landslide experts. Also, did I mention I love being in the mountains, and when I can't be there, I love looking at the spectacular photographs these amazing surveyors produced over more than 60 years! The partnership with MLP has been a great opportunity to actively work with a diverse group of researchers who are always looking for new ways to extract data from the images for their research.
What challenges does this pose for the archives?
I think the primary challenge this project has posed for me and perhaps for the archival community in general is to force us to reassess our approach to scientific records, or to records which may
be of value to scientific researchers. Having said that, I should mention that there is now a Special Interest Section on Scientific Records within the Association of Canadian Archivists. This group is concerned precisely with the issue of better understanding the archival and historical value of scientific records, and of disseminating their research to the archival community in Canada.
The survey photographs were initially created to produce topographic maps across the country. They were considered as intermediate, temporary documents needed to create the maps. Somehow, however, the plates, and many of the contact prints and indices created from them, were kept over the years, perhaps because scientists within NRCan were hesitant to dipose of them, and did very occasionally, consult them. In the end, the MLP found copies of prints and indices that had been distributed to Jasper National Park, and that led them to NRCan, and finally to LAC. The MLP is now using these images in a completely different way than their creators imagined, and that is a good lesson for archivists, historians and scientists. Nonetheless, the archiving of scientific records poses serious challenges to archives and archivists, not least of which is the vast amount of data created by scientific projects, and the understanding of what may have archival value. The original images from the DLS posed a physical challenge to us, as they sit on glass plates, and require special housing and handling, and also a lot of shelf space. However, many more contemporary scientific projects produce reams of numerical data saved on tape or disk, and you can imagine the challenges in both accessing and preserving material like this, especially when resources are stretched.
Describe the range of photographs that you encounter in your work as an archivist at Library and Archives Canada.
The mandate of Library and Archives Canada is to acquire, describe and make accessible the documentary heritage of Canada, in any format, including photographs. As a result, our collection of more than 25 million photographic images is extremely wide-ranging, in terms of both content and format. We have daguerreotype portraits and views from the 1840s, digital images acquired last year, and everything in between. The collections come from the federal government (as with the Dominion Land Survey images), and private organizations and citizens. We work to develop a collection which will visually document the diverse aspects of Canadian life and society, from historically important Canadian people, events, places, and activities. For example, the Andrew Merrilees fonds contains hundreds of thousands of photographic prints and negatives documenting the history of rail transportation in Canada since its beginnings in the 1850s into the 1970s, while the smaller Vincenzo Pietropaolo fonds documents the everyday lives of migrant farm workers, Toronto's Italian community, and the shifting identity of workers across Canada in the 1990s. We also hold other collections related to forestry and forest history, including some which document lumber operations in the Ottawa Valley in the early 20th century, the work of the Canadian Forestry Corps in the First and Second World Wars in England and Europe, a collection of NRCan slides documenting insect and disease infestations in central Canadian forests, as well as other related collections from the Ministry of Forestry, the Geological Survey of Canada and Parks Canada.
For more background, consult: Jill Delaney (2008). "An Inconvenient Truth? Scientific Photography and Archival Ambivalence" in Archivaria, issue 65, pp 75-95.
Jill can be contacted at: Jill.delaney@lac-bac.gc.ca
Using Oral Histories: A View from the Forest History Society
Q-and-A with Cheryl Oakes
Librarian/Archivist, Forest History Society
In this Q-and-A, Cheryl explains the unique ways in which oral histories can capture various perspectives and experiences that written records may not illuminate. She also discusses the Forest History Society's collection of oral histories from the Canadian industry, which would be a valuable resource for many researchers.
1. The Forest History Society has many resources for Canadian researchers, including a number of oral histories. Can you describe your oral history collection?
The Society's Oral History Interview Collection includes more than 275 oral history interviews (OHIs) conducted with individuals involved with the management and use of forests and their related resources. The sound recordings are in various analog formats, including reel-to-reel recordings, stenorette tapes, and cassettes. Most interviews have at least rough transcriptions in typescript. Electronic transcriptions for more recently conducted interviews are available for research in the Society's library, and some are accessible through our web site from links in our Annotated Guide to the FHS Oral History Collection. We also produce photocopies of transcripts when researchers are unable to visit our Library.
Subjects discussed in our oral history interviews broadly pertain to the history of human interaction with the forested environment. Many people interviewed by the Society in the 1940s and 1950s were veterans of the forest products industry whose first-hand accounts of momentous events document critical policy changes that occurred within the industry in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. During the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the Society's OHI mission expanded to include projects that recorded the reminiscences of forestry educators and researchers, conservationists, and employees of U.S. government agencies charged with managing natural resources. Many interviews conducted over the last couple of decades describe the contentious political atmosphere experienced by women who held relatively high positions of leadership within the United States Forest Service (USFS) or describe the administrative challenges faced by former chiefs of the USFS and administrators of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
2. To your knowledge, have different researchers used these oral histories and for what purposes?
The oral history collections have been used over the years by people doing academic research in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, geography, and economics to flesh out the data found in archival documents. They provide evidence of how company directives affected workers, how government employees viewed changes in policy by their agencies, and what social conditions were like in small communities around the U.S. during the 20th century. They have been used by education consultants in producing classroom activities for middle school students through our “If Trees Could Talk” social studies curriculum. Portions of interviews have been published in our various journals and magazines. A small portion of one interview is available on our website as an audio file as a way to increase interest in using the collection and we will like provide more as technology for handling larger file sizes improves. Another important group of users is genealogists, who find oral history interviews of great value for their family histories.
3. If a researcher was planning to use existing oral history collections, how would you suggest that they listen to and analyze them most effectively?
Nearly all research involving the oral history interviews uses the transcripts rather than the audio versions. It is much easier to read a transcript, mark significant passages, and refer back to it as research progresses. But if the need arises we can provide a cassette version of most recordings so that the researcher can hear the actual voice of the interviewee and learn something about them from their speech patterns, emphasis, etc.
4. What types of stories, experiences, etc., do you think oral histories can especially document? Why do you think that the creation and use of oral histories is a valuable research method?
Oral history interviewing is a technique that preserves the cultural heritage of people from all economic and social classes by recording reminiscences about events that impacted an individual’s life. It attempts to fill in gaps that are found in the written record. In many cases it is the next best thing to being there.
5. Are there any particular kinds of oral histories that you would hope to see in the future? (E.g. more recent accounts of the forest industry, experiences of government workers, groups whose role perhaps has traditionally been less well-understood?)
Like any other undertaking, oral history projects require financial support. The support is liable to be strongest around a particular company, department, or event. We are constantly striving for ongoing support that will allow us to more strategically target stories that need to be told, even if they are not so glamorous or connected to an anniversary or other celebration. There are many issues that have been of importance and have sometimes caused contention between the U.S. and Canada that deserve to be better documented through oral histories. Women and minorities have always been under-represented in history, so we would also like to rectify that as much as possible.
Reconstruction Techniques and Forest / Soil History
Q-and-A with Dr. Brett Eaton
Assistant Professor in Physical Geography, University of British Columbia
On a walk through a forest, you may see mounds created by uprooted trees and characterized by stilt-like roots. These trees have been toppled by wind and other factors. Enough such trees of similar age in an area can give a minimum time since the windstorm that toppled the original stand.The technique, drawn from an older natural history tradition, was integrated into the “historical reconstructive technique” developed by Earl Stephens for his 1955 PhD dissertation at Harvard University. Looking at the age, growth rates, position, shape, and species of trees, the micro topography, and the mixing of soil types, Stephens was able to construct a detailed forest and soil history in a small area of the Harvard Forest.
You can see an example of these trees in our "Across Canada" photos section.
Foster, D., G. Motzkin, J. O’Keefe, E. Boose, D. Orwig, J. Fuller, and B. Hall. “The Environmental and Human History of New England.” In Forests in Time: the environmental consequences of 1,000 years of change in New England, edited by David Foster and John Aber, 43-100. New Haven and London: Yale UP, 2004.
1. A common feature in some forested landscapes is an uprooted tree mound with a younger tree growing on top of it. What causes these trees to fall, and how rapidly do new trees establish themselves in this context?
In most cases, trees fall due to disease or old age, combined with a wind storm. In some locations, fire first compromises the strength of the trees, and then they blow over. Also, exceptionally strong windstorms are capable of blowing over perfectly healthy, young trees. Most colonization of exposed ground occurs in the first decade after disturbance, though in some cases, a seedling may have been established prior to the disturbance.
2. How do researchers date these tree mounds?
These features are typically dated by counting the tree rings of colonizing trees. It involves either extracting a small core from the tree using an increment borer or by cutting the colonizing tree down and taking a slice of the trunk back to the lab.
3. How do researchers use these findings? Can you give any examples of projects that have used this method?
These sorts of features can be used to date the disturbance history. Therefore, they can be used to investigate a wide range of processes, including debris flows, forest fires, and the lateral migration of stream channels. A good example of this is the PhD work done by Matthias Jacob, who has used tree rings and other disturbance indicators to reconstruct the debris flow frequency characteristics of the Coast Mountains.
4. What are some other methods that might be used alongside this to develop a sense of the natural history of a forest (e.g. soil analysis, microtopographies?
Other methods that can be used to date the natural history of a forest include Carbon 14 dating, for which dramatic improvements in precision and accuracy have been achieved in recent years; tree-ring analysis of various fallen and dead tree;, and a range of recent dating techniques, including optical luminescence dating and cosmogenic radionuclide.
Holdings of the Norther BC Archives (NBCA) and Advice for First-Time Archival Researchers
Q-and-A with Erica Hernandez
Assistant Archivist at the NBCA
Northern BC Archives (University of Northern British Columbia)
Prince George, British Columbia
http://library.unbc.ca/UNBCArchives/web/default.html
In this Q-and-A, Erica discusses the holdings of the NBCA, and then helpfully addresses general issues with archival research and the donation of archival materials. It is a good read for anyone interested in doing forest history research in BC or elsewhere, or for families who may be considering donating papers, photographs, etc, to an archive but are unsure of what to do.
ARCHIVAL RESEARCH AND FOREST HISTORY: THE VIEW FROM THE NORTHERN BC ARCHIVES
1. The Northern BC Archives (NBCA) contains records related to the formation of UNBC, as well as the history and culture of Northern BC. What are some of the largest and/or most frequently accessed fonds or collections that you have?
- Jack Carbutt Collection
- Barry McKinnon fonds
- Brian Fawcett fonds
- Interior University Society fonds
- Prince George Oral History Group fonds
- Ray Williston fonds
- Mary Fallis fonds
- Northwood Pulp & Timber Ltd. fonds
- Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum Society Archival Collection
- Aleza Lake Research Forest Archival Records
2. You also house the archives of the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum. How has this donation been incorporated into the NBCA, and what materials and topics does it add to your holdings? Are there any finding aids available for this collection?
The PGRFM collection is comprised of several different sub-collections of materials pertaining to the history of railroad and forestry development in this area. There is a developed finding aid, as well, the photographs comprising two of the sub-collections are actually being scanned and will be available on-line in March.
3. With regards to forest history research specifically, what types of collections does the NBCA hold? For what sorts of forest history projects have researchers used the archives, to your knowledge?
Types of records we hold include: textual materials, audio cassettes, photographs, reel to reel film, cartographic material and general ephemera
- Aleza Lake Research Forest Archival Records fonds: 3.71 m textual records (1919-1998);
- Northwood Pulp & Timber Ltd. fonds: 4.75m graphic and other material (1963-1996);
- Adam Zimmerman fonds: 31 m textual records (1957-1996);
- Ray Williston fonds: 90 cm of textual records and other material (1914-1999);
- Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum Society Archival Collection: 7.68 m textual records (1894-1999).
- Parker Bonney photographic fonds (1926-1945; Bonney was the district forester for Prince Rupert who surveyed the Nass River Watershed and the Headwaters of the Skeena)
- To my knowledge, types of projects for which our archives have been used include an overview of silviculture practice in the north; the development of Northwood Pulp & Timber within this geographic region; and women in the forest industry.
4. Are there any other great forest history-related topics there that you think are could be researched through your collections?
Yes, we house a massive collection of materials from the town of Cassiar, BC. This material is not yet accessible due to budget constraints and limited staffing resources; however, once it is accessible it will be a tremendously rich source of natural resource related topics.
The Archives has holdings relating to the community of Red Rock, a rural community outside of Prince George. The Archives created the Red Rock Community History Website which includes links to forestry related photographs and transcripts on-line of interviews with former community residents, some of whom were involved in logging and sawmill work c.1930s-c.1970s See:
http://library.unbc.ca/unbcarchives/livinglandscapes/default.html
The Archives has also acquired photographic materials documenting the geographic regions of Northern BC & Northern Yukon: its natural landscapes, wildlife habitats, and surveying activities c. 1920-c.1950s that would be of interest to researchers of industrial and environmental history. (see A.H. Phipps fonds; Harvey Scott fonds; Knox McCusker fonds)
Other potential topics of interest could include: how Northwood contributed to the establishment and cultural composition of P.G.; the culture of logging camps; the evolution of pulping techniques; the evolution of silviculture and harvesting techniques; the study of rivers and forest composition over time; ethno-botanical research; the possibilities are truly endless given the richness of the material in our holdings.
5. If a researcher who is relatively unfamiliar to the archival research process contacts you with an interest in doing forest history research at the NBCA, what steps might you take to assist them in making their access request and review?
I would do a sit down (or telephone) interview with them to really flesh out what their thesis topic is and how the material we have could help them.
I would provide an overview of our database and how to use it so that it best helps them in their research.
I would discuss the nature of archival material and how researching primary sources differs from conducting library and on-line research; I would also explain proper handling techniques and reference room etiquette.
I would show them additional on-line resources for conducting primary research.
Finally I would set up a separate viewing appointment for which I would pull out archival material they had already identified as being of interest to them (this would be done after they conducted research on our database).
6. Do you have any general recommendations for researchers who wish to use archives such as the NBCA? How can researchers carry out this process most effectively and professionally?
In general I would say, identify your topic and establish your research agenda– have the scope of your research inquiry in mind when you begin your archival research;
Conduct on-line research into the Archives you will be visiting before making an appointment;
Make a consultative appointment with an Archivist in order to ensure that the material in the Archives will be useful to you, and to ask any questions you may have re: use of the Archives’ database;
Set aside a couple of hours/day to undertake this primary research;
Bring in a laptop or a pad and pencil to make notes with (no pens allowed).
7. Are you often approached with offers of collection donation? How do you balance the desires of many people to have their materials preserved with the need to have an effective and organized archive? Do you have any suggestions for someone who finds a collection of old photographs or other such materials that they want to bring to an archive?
For any material that is being considered for donation create an inventory: include titles, dates, context of possession, an overview of previous storage conditions, and any other bits of information related to this material (this is VERY important);
Locate an Archives that is in the same area from which this material originated (i.e. if the photos are of Ft. George or within the area of Northern British Columbia north of Williams Lake to the Yukon Border, contact the NBCA, if they are of Stanley Park contact City of Vancouver Archives, etc.) Archives generally restrict their collecting to a geographic area;
Understand that this material may not be publically accessible for quite some time due to backlog (unfortunately very common in Archives);
Determine if this material is to have any access restrictions (i.e is there any personal information within that you don’t want the public to see for a set number of years);
Know that most Archives do not have a budget for purchasing any archival material; the only incentive we can offer is that of tax receipt. Therefore determine ahead of time if you want a tax receipt;
Determine (before gifting) if any other member of your family wants this material, either in its original format or a copy thereof. If a copy is requested speak to your local Archivist about this process before undertaking it yourself as they will be able to provide technical guidance. It is important to have familial consensus if making such a gift on behalf of family as this can lead to unnecessary internal family strife – it is very difficult to undo a gifting agreement once signed.