April 28, 2016
April 28, 2016
I had the pleasure of experiencing Bob's passion for red pine during several of his visits to our lab here in Grand Rapids. It amazed me that someone who was away from this forest for so long still had such an intimate knowledge of how it worked. What I gained from his visits more than anything was the importance of maintaining long-term studies in silviculture. I hope that he took some pride in knowing that several of the studies he initiated (red pine growing stock experiment, Birch Lake cutting methods experiment, red pine prescribed burning study) are still being maintained and actively monitored and are contributing to forestry science in ways he probably never imagined. His name is always mentioned as the originator of these studies when we give colleagues and students tours of the Cutfoot Experimental Forest and Birch Lake Plantation.