In Memoriam
Harold Biswell
1905-1992
Dr. Harold H. Biswell (1905-1992) played a fundamental role in twentieth century acceptance and use of prescribed burning in California’s wildland ecosystems. Dr. Biswell was born in Fayette, Missouri, and, in 1930, he earned an undergraduate degree in zoology from Missouri’s Central College. He obtained a doctorate degree in plant ecology in 1934 from the University of Nebraska. After researching rangeland resources for the USDA Forest Service in California and at the Southeastern Experiment Station in Asheville, North Carolina, Dr. Biswell became a faculty member in the School of Forestry at UC Berkeley in 1947.
Fire had long been used as part of ecosystem stewardship by Indigenous peoples in the Sierra Nevada, but controversy over fire began after the settlement of the coastal and foothill areas of California by Euro-Americans. Some fire practitioners continued to use fire to reduce fuel hazards and steward certain plant species until 1924, when the California State Board of Forestry adopted fire exclusion policies. In 1945, California began issuing burning permits after ranchers and hunters raised concerns about increased brush density in rangelands, which resulted from the exclusion of fire from the landscape. Dr. Biswell used prescribed fires in chaparral in Teaford Forest in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to research range improvement and grazing capacity. He also conducted research on understory burning in ponderosa pine stands and showed that the use of prescribed fire could make wildfires easier to control and less destructive because of the reduction of fuel hazards. At Whitaker’s Forest near Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Dr. Biswell researched fuel reduction and stand modification in giant sequoia and mixed conifer stands. The series of studies that he and his students conducted at Whitaker’s Forest contributed significantly to refining the science of prescribed burning. Dr. Biswell led field days, attended by both natural resource professionals and members of the public, where he discussed prescribed burning and demonstrated the use of fire.
Harold Biswell leading a discussion about prescribed fire during one of his field days in Yosemite National Park, California, USA, fall 1976. Photo credit: Mike Yost
Dr. Biswell had an important influence on prescribed burning policies in California. Many California State Park rangers and managers attended Dr. Biswell's classes and field days, which formed the basis for programs to restore fire to the state parks. As for national parks, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks began a fire management program in 1968 which involved prescribed fire for research and environmental restoration. Yosemite National Park started a prescribed burning program in 1970. Dr. Biswell and his students created a lasting impact on fire perception and policies in wildland ecosystems.
Harold Weaver (left), Herbert Stoddard (center), and Harold Biswell (right) at the 1967 Tall Timbers Conference. Photo credit: Forest History Society
After Dr. Biswell’s retirement in 1973, he taught extension courses and served as a consultant to the California Department of Parks and Recreation and agencies in other states. UC Berkeley awarded him the Berkeley Citation (the university’s highest award for venerable achievement) upon his retirement. Throughout his career, Dr. Biswell received numerous awards from the University of British Columbia, Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., the California Wool Growers’ Association, the Arizona Water Resources Committee, and many other organizations. He also was supported in his research and teaching in the Mediterranean region by a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright Award. Dr. Biswell authored 170 popular and scientific papers regarding the use of fire for brush control, fire hazard reduction, and rangeland improvement.
“His research and, in particular, his patience with people and fire should guide us in the future application of fire in wildland ecosystems.”
Selected Papers and books
“Prescribed burning in Georgia and California compared” (1958)
Prescribed Burning in California Wildlands Vegetation Management (1989)
Resources
The tribute above was written based on information found in the following sources. If you would like to include additional information, papers or books, personal quotes, or photos please email communications@fireecology.net.
Changing the Course of Wildfire Management in California: Highlights from the Harold Biswell Papers (Jessica Tai; Berkeley Library)
Dr. Biswell’s Influence on the Development of Prescribed Burning in California (Jan W. van Wagtendonk; The Biswell Symposium; USFS)
Harold H. Biswell, Forestry: Berkeley (University of California In Memoriam 1994)
Legacy of Harold Biswell: Prescribed Fire Mitigation in SoCal (Archive video) (California Fire Science Consortium)
Memorial Dedication to Dr. Harold H. Biswell (James K. Agee; USFS)
The Fire Restoration Challenge in California (The Sierra Forest Voice Vol. 14, No. 1)
Finding Aid to the Harold H. Biswell Papers (Jessica Tai; Online Archive of California)
A balanced approach: Dr. Biswell's solution to fire issues in urban interface and wildland ecosystems (Carol Rice; The Biswell Symposium; USFS)
Introduction to the article by Harold Biswell: Prescribed Burning in Georgia and California Compared (Scott L. Stephens, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, James K. Agee, and Ronald H. Wakimoto; Fire Ecology Journal)
