Besley was Maryland’s first State Forester
Linkwood,
Md. (April 23, 2012) – To honor Maryland’s
first State forester, the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) officially dedicated the
Fred W. Besley Demonstration Forest in
Dorchester County on April 20. The ceremony,
held in Linkwood, recognized Besley for his
influence on the future of forestry
conservation.
“As Maryland’s first State Forester, Fred
Besley built a legacy of conservation and
sustainable forestry management, which the
Maryland Forest Service still follows to this
day,” said State Forester and Director Steven
Koehn.
Earlier this year, the Maryland Board of
Public Works
officially renamed 1,040 acres of Chesapeake
Forest Land in Dorchester County to the Fred
W. Besley Demonstration Forest to honor the
father of Maryland forestry. The newly dedicated
area consists of five parcels of land originally
owned and worked by Besley. In 2010, the State
purchased the area from Besley & Rodgers, Inc.,
through Program Open Space. These tracts now
serve as living examples of Maryland’s first
conservation efforts lead by Besley himself.
Besley became Maryland’s first State Forester
in 1906, after being hand-picked for the
position by Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of
the U.S. Forest Service. Maryland was only the
third state to create such as position, and its
forestry program soon became a national model.
Read more...
Dedication of the Fred W. Besley Demonstration Forest
Dorchester County, Maryland - April 20, 2102
Welcome
Steven W. Koehn
Director/State Forester, Maryland Forest Service
Click here to read remarks.
Remarks - Kirk P. Rodgers
Chair of the Besley- Rodgers Corporation
& grandson of Fred W. Besley
Click here to read remarks.
Remarks - Francis "Champ" Zumbrun
Retired as Maryland State Forester & Manager of Green Ridge State
Forest
Serves on the Committee for Maryland Conservation History
Click here to read remarks.
Tribute to Fred Wilson Besley
Geoffrey L. Buckley,
Associate Professor
Department of Geography, Ohio University
Click here to read remarks.
Fred W. Besley Demonstration Forest Roadside Exhibits
2225 Andrews Road, Dorchester County, Maryland
Fred W. Besley Demonstration Forest Maps
Wye Oak photographs, believed to be taken by Fred W.
Besley in 1940 when he was State Forester, presented to the Committee for Maryland
Conservation History at the dedication of the Fred W. Besley
Demonstration Forest by Fred W. Besley’s granddaughter, Peggy
Weller. Photographs are from the collection of Helen Besley
Overington, daughter of Fred W. Besley.
Largest White Oak in the USA.
400 years in 1940
Height: 95 feet
Base diameter: 18 feet
Spread: 165 feet
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