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Illinois Natlkal History Surnly liuLLETiN 



Vol. 27, Art. 2 



in the state. Also, they proposed a forest 

 law for the state. Later, Forbes and Rob- 

 ert B. Miller (Forbes 101%, 191 9/v; 

 Forbes <S: Miller 1<)2()) pointed out that 

 the forests of Illinois were beinj:; rapidly 

 destroyed and that only very few of the 

 remaining forests were being properly 

 handled. Miller (1Q23) made the first 

 extensive report on a survey of the forests 

 of Illinois; the report was published in 

 the Bulletin of the Illinois Natural His- 

 tory Surve\'. The survey covered land 

 classification ; history and types of forests 

 and important trees in the forests; uses 

 of forest trees in milling and logging op- 

 erations, wood-using industries and veneer 

 industries; production of charcoal, ties, 

 and mine timbers; and adverse effects of 

 Hres, erosion, and grazing on forested 

 areas. 



The second extensive report on a forest 

 survey of Illinois was made by Herman 

 H. Chapman and Miller and published 

 in the Bulletin (Chapman & Miller 

 1924). In this report the economic value 

 of the forests and the forests as a crop 

 were emphasized. The uses made of forest 

 trees were discussed, and a policy of 

 proper management of the forests to pre- 

 vent the continued decimation of timber 

 was outlined. 



C. J. Telford (1923), a Natural His- 

 tory Survey forester, reported on height 

 and growth studies on certain bottomland 

 tree species in southern Illinois. He found 

 that naturally stocked plantings of syca- 

 more, Cottonwood, pin oak, and maple 

 produced better growth than did plant- 

 ings of most other species in the bottom- 

 lands. 



Telford (1926) reported on the third 

 forest survey of Illinois. In this report, 

 which included descriptions of the forests 

 in the state and data on growth of in- 

 dividual trees and yields of different types 

 of trees, he reviewed the proposed forest 

 policies given in the two previous forest 

 surveys of the state and urgently recom- 

 mended setting up an educational pro- 

 gram to promote tlie development of 

 farm wood lots, the protection of the 

 then present forests, and the reforestation 

 of much of the waste land, estimated to 

 total 1,577,663 acres. 



These reports on forests of Illinois 

 stimulated interest in the preservation and 



expansion of the forest resources of the 

 state. A forestry program was carried on 

 and expanded by the extension foresters 

 who succeeded Telford and who were 

 employed jointly by the Natural History 

 Survey and the Department of Forestry 

 of the University of Illinois. They were 

 L. E. Sawyer, J. E. Davis, and L. B. 

 Culver. Since 1954 the Natural History 

 Survey has not participated in this for- 

 estry program. 



By 1900 special emphasis was being 

 directed toward control of plant diseases 

 in Illinois. This trend was emphasized 

 by some of Burrill's papers, such as that 

 on spraying for the control of bitter rot 

 (Burrill 1903). As interest in this field 

 continued to increase, it became evident 

 that a systematic study of plants and 

 plant diseases in Illinois should be inau- 

 gurated. In 1921 a botanical section was 

 established within the framework of the 

 Natural History Survey by the appoint- 

 ment of Leo R. Tehon as the first 

 botanist. 



Under the direction of Tehon as bot- 

 anist in charge of the Section of Botany 

 from 1921 to 1935 and as botanist and 

 head of the Section of Applied Botany 

 and Plant Pathology from 1935 until his 

 untimely death in 1954, botanical re- 

 search expanded to include work not only 

 in the field of general botany but espe- 

 cially in the fields of mycology, plant 

 pathology, and taxonomy. The number of 

 technically trained scientists on the staff 

 was increased from 1 in 1921 to 10 in 

 1954. 



Tehon's broad background and train- 

 ing and his mastery of the various fields 

 of research carried on in the botanical 

 section are indicated, in part, by his many 

 and varied publications. Tehon described 

 many new genera and species of fungi, 

 most of them in a series of six articles 

 under the title "Notes on the Parasitic 

 Fungi of Illinois" (Tehon 1924, 1933, 

 1937/.; Tehon & Daniels 1925, 1927; 

 Tehon .Sc Stout 1929). Also he wrote 

 "A Monographic Rearrangement of 

 Loptifuler/niu//i'' and "New Species and 

 Taxonomic Changes in the Hvpoderma- 

 taceae" (Tehon 1935, \939d). He de- 

 scribed diseases affecting economic crops, 

 including those of fruits, vegetables, grain 

 and forage crops, and diseases of ornamen- 



