Wikipedia

Frank H. Wadsworth

Not to be confused with Frank W. Wadsworth.

Frank Howard Wadsworth (November 26, 1915 – January 5, 2022) was an American forester, conservationist and researcher. He made important scientific contributions to forestry, through his work in Puerto Rico where he lived from 1942 until his death.

Frank H. Wadsworth
Portrait of Dr. Wadsworth by the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, 2002
Born
Frank Howard Wadsworth

(1915-11-26)November 26, 1915
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 2022(2022-01-05) (aged 106)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Known forPioneer in forest management
Spouses
Margaret Pearson
​
​
(m. 1941; died 1985)​
[1][2]
  • Isabel Colorado Laguna[2]
AwardsDistinguished Service Award (Order of the Arrow)
Scientific career
FieldsForestry, ecology
InstitutionsUnited States Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry

Life and education

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Wadsworth was born on November 26, 1915, in Chicago, Illinois[3] to Robert Wadsworth and Helen Celestia Woodman.[4] From 1941, he was married to Margaret Pearson until her death in 1985; he was later married to Isabel Colorado Laguna until his death in 2022.[1] Wadsworth studied forestry at the University of Michigan where he earned a bachelors and a masters degree in the field. In 1950, he received his PhD in Forestry, focusing on tropical forest and tropical rainforest management in Puerto Rico.[3][5][6][7]

Work

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In 1938, Wadsworth worked at the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station at Fort Valley, Arizona.[1] In January 1942, he arrived in Puerto Rico[8] to work at the Tropical Forest Experimental Station in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.[9] In 1943, he was elected into Sigma Xi membership.[10]

 
Frank Wadsworth in the 1960s[11]

In the early 1940s, Wadsworth and assistants documented and described all of Puerto Rico's trees: 755 tree species were listed and then began a scientific method to reforest the barren lands of Puerto Rico.[12] In an interview about his work in Puerto Rico, which he gave when he was in his 90s, Wadsworth stated (in perfect Spanish) that he spent the first ten years in Puerto Rico visiting all its forests, documenting species and their condition.[13]

In 1949, he completed the "Multiple Use and Timber Management Plan" for the Caribbean National Forest[14] now known as El Yunque National Forest. That same year, Wadsworth was directly involved with the conservation efforts of the Puerto Rican parrot and was successful in putting aside 3,200 acres for parrot habitat.[7][15] The Puerto Rican parrot, which had once numbered in the millions, had dwindled to around 2,000 birds by 1949, and then to only 13 by 1975.[7]

By the start of the 20th century, aggressive agricultural use had left Puerto Rico mostly barren of forests, and attempts to restore the tropical forests had all but failed. In the 1950's, along with agronomist José Marrero Torrado, Wadsworth performed comprehensive scientific research and experimentation which led to successful approaches for the reforestation of Puerto Rico. The lessons learned from these studies and efforts paved the way for reforestation efforts for tropical forests in Central and South America. During his 80 years of work, mostly in Puerto Rico,[16] his research was published in more than a hundred books and scientific journals.[17][18][19]

 
Wadsworth served as the Director of The International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

In 1956, he took a position with the United States Forest Service as the supervisor of the El Yunque National Forest and subsequently became the Director of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF).[12][13][20]

In the 1960s, Wadsworth played a key role in the construction of the Yokahú Tower.[21] In 1968, as member of the Governor's Advisory Council, he played a key role in the creation of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.[22]

When interviewed in his late 90s, Wadsworth said that agritourism goes a long way towards conservation of importance resources, surmising that "tourists make us aware of the value of our forests."[13]

Contributions to Scouting

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In 1933 Wadsworth earned the rank of Eagle Scout and remained a member of the Boy Scouts of America for most of his life.[23] He made numerous contributions in the conservancy of Guajataka Scout Reservation's forests, and offered numerous educational lectures to Scouts.[24] In 1952, he founded the reservation's Nature Team, which is entrusted with maintaining the Scout camp's nature education programs.[24][25][26] In 1954, he co-founded Yokahu Lodge[27] of the Order of the Arrow and served as the Ordeal Master for the first Ordeal ceremony held in Puerto Rico.[23] In 1965, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Order of the Arrow.[28] In 2003, he published Guía Para la Isla de la Mona, a Scout guidebook on Mona Island, on behalf of the Puerto Rico Council.[29]

Legacy and honors

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Bust of Dr. Wadsworth located at the Guajataka Scout Reservation, pictured with a black ribbon bow after his passing.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Wadsworth, Frank H. (2008). Memories of Fort Valley from 1938 to 1942 (PDF). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. USDA Forest Service RMRS-P-53CD. 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Centenario defensor de nuestro ambiente" [Centenary, defender of our environment]. Press Reader (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Remembering Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth". United States Forest Service. January 26, 2022. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  4. ^ Green, L. Pearle, ed. (1915). "Directory". Kappa Alpha Theta. 30 (1). Fraternity: 383. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  5. ^ "Dr. Frank Howard Wadsworth, (103 años)" [Dr. Frank Howard Wadsworth, (103 years-old)]. Institute of Puerto Rican Culture YouTube Channel (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "Dr. Frank Wadsworth". PressReader. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Williams, Gerald W. (2007). The Forest Service Fighting for Public Lands. Greenwood Press, 2006. p. 301. ISBN 9780313337949. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Waide, Robert B.; Kingsland, Sharon E. (April 7, 2021). The Challenges of Long Term Ecological Research: A Historical Analysis. Springer Nature. pp. 130–132. ISBN 978-3-030-66933-1. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Steen, Harold K. (1998). Evolution of Tropical Forestry: Puerto Rico and Beyond. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "A Career of Forestry Research". Sigma Xi News Archive. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  11. ^ Wunderle, Joseph M. Jr.; Devenish-Nelson, Eleanor; P. Nelson, Howard (2022). "In memoriam: Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth, 1915–2022". Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 35: 52–58. doi:10.55431/jco.2022.35.52-58. hdl:20.500.11820/7f455613-f05e-45ad-a837-028f0212743b. S2CID 249696084. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Geoambiente - Frank Wadsworth: Legado de Forestación y Conservación (Part 1)". Sistema TV YouTube Channel (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "La vida entre árboles" [Life among trees]. CienciaPR (in Spanish). June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Luquillo Forest Reserve Centennial Timeline Summary". USDA Forest Service. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "An Interview with Frank H. Wadsworth" (PDF). Forest History Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  16. ^ Wadsworth, Frank H. (2007). José Marrero Torrado, regalo puertorriqueño a los árboles [José Marrero Torrado, a gift to Puerto Rico's trees] (PDF) (in Spanish). International Institute of Tropical Forestry, U.S. Forest Service. Acta Cientifica. 21(1-3):29-35. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "Fallece Frank H. Wadsworth, pilar en el manejo de El Yunque" [Frank H. Wadsworth, a pillar of El Yunque management, dies]. El Adoquín Times (in Spanish). January 6, 2022. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  18. ^ Wadsworth, Frank H. "Formats and Editions of Montane forest management in the insular Caribbean [WorldCat.org]". WorldCat.org. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  19. ^ Hill forest silviculture for Sarawak (Book, 1980) [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 66858878. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022 – via WorldCat.org.
  20. ^ "Lamentan muerte de dasónomo Frank H. Wadsworth". La Isla Oeste (in Spanish). January 6, 2022. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "Yokahu tower on USDA forest service". fs.usda.gov. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  22. ^ "Geoambiente - Frank Wadsworth: Legado de Forestación y Conservación (Parte 3)" [GeoEnvironment Frank Wadsworth Legacy of Forestry and Conservation Part 3]. Sistema TV YouTube Channel (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  23. ^ a b GOLDSMITH, JEFFREY H.; TSCHETTER, MARTY (2015). "Wadsworth: Distinguished Forester" (PDF). The Silver Arrowhead. 8 (2): 2–3. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Wunderle, Joseph M. Jr. (2022). "birdscaribbean.org In memoriam: Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth, 1915–2022". Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 35: 52–58. doi:10.55431/jco.2022.35.52-58. hdl:20.500.11820/7f455613-f05e-45ad-a837-028f0212743b. S2CID 249696084. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  25. ^ "Guajataka Scout Reservation - Nature Lodge".
  26. ^ "A don Frank Wadsworth..." [To Mr. Frank Wadsworth...]. Primera Hora (in Spanish). January 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  27. ^ "Yokah Tower". El Yunque National Forest. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  28. ^ "1965 DSA Recipients". Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  29. ^ Wadsworth, Frank H. (2003). Guía para la Isla de la Mona [Guide for Mona Island] (PDF) (in Spanish). Concilio de Puerto Rico, Niños Escuchas de América. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  30. ^ "Byrsonima wadsworthii". USDA Forest Service. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  31. ^ "Awards". Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  32. ^ "Frank H. Wadsworth Receives 2009 Sustained Achievement Award" (PDF). International Society of Tropical Foresters. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  33. ^ "100th Birthday of Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth". Flickr. May 2017. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  34. ^ "Homenaje al Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth, "El Primero"" [Tribute to Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth, "The First"]. El Cemi (in Spanish). 3 (Noviembre). 2014. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  35. ^ "Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth: Legado de Forestación y Conservación". Youtube: Sistema TV. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  36. ^ "Sal a conocer las veredas de Puerto Rico" [Get to know Puerto Rico's trails]. UPR Diálogo. June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  37. ^ Ortiz Berríos, Marielisa (June 10, 2016). "Los beneficios de hacer senderismo en un bosque" [The benefits of hiking in a forest]. Atabey. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  38. ^ "Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth". Instituto de Cultura Puertoriqueña. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  39. ^ Oeste, La Isla (July 11, 2019). "ICP estrena Crónicas 90; con la historia de Victoria Espinosa y Luis Maisonet | La Isla Oeste". laislaoeste.com (in Spanish). Retrieved October 10, 2024.

External reading

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