Calvin B. Stott
Compiled by Emily Stanislawski, UWSP, 2022
Collection Summary
Calvin B. Stott spent a lifetime working for the U.S. Forest Service, where he championed the Continuous Forestry Inventory (CFI) and is credited by many for popularizing it in the United States.
Calvin (Cal) B. Stott was born in 1901. He spent his childhood in Pennsylvania. He studied forestry at Penn State Forestry School and Yale University. He spent the majority of his professional career with the US Forest Service (USFS), starting in 1925. He worked at the Bighorn National Forrest (WY), Chippewa National Forrest (MN) and Superior National Forrest (Upper MI). After several years in different locations, he moved to the USFS regional office in Milwaukee, working with the State & Private Forestry division, where he remained for over three decades.
Stott was passionate about forest management and is credited by many with a large role in developing the Continuous Forrest Inventory (CFI). He felt forests should be managed with care, like how a business might closely track its resources. Stott worked with businesses, Native reservations, and the State of WI to get inventories of forests created and maintained.
Stott also published many articles on forestry and CFI, including several in the Journal of Forestry. He also published 142 issues of his monthly newsletter “Forrest Control by Continuous Inventory” with the USFS.
In the 1960s, Stott was involved with Menominee Enterprises, Inc. (MEI). This is the company that Menominee tribal property was transferred to when the federal government was terminated in 1961. The Menominee Tribe had successful forestry and lumber operations, prior to termination.
Stott retired from his over four-decade long career in forestry in 1965. He spent his retirement in West Bend, WI and he continued to be active in Forestry. Stott passed away February 5, 1991.
Stott received many honors for his dedication to forestry including the Wisconsin-Michigan Timber Producers Association Award of Merit. Stott was also a member of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and received an America Forrester Distinguished Service Award from the Wisconsin-Michigan section. In 1985, he was given the rank of Fellow in the SAF. Stott also received the US Department of Agriculture Superior Service Award. In 1985, Stott was also inducted in the Forest History Hall of Fame. A plaque of him is located on the UWSP campus in the Trainer Natural Resource Building, along with all the inductees into the Forestry Hall of Fame.
The resources found here were compiled from the UWSP Archives collections from the Forest History Association of Wisconsin (Col. 104), and the Wisconsin Hall of Fame (Col. 381). Additional sources were found in newspapers and books found in and outside of the UWSP Archives, as well as online resources.
*Items that are available as digital file in the F. G. Wilson digital folder at UWSP Archives
Stott’s Life & Legacy
*”Stott, Calvin B. 1985 Inductee,” Forestry Hall of Fame Induction Materials- These materials are found in the UWSP Archives in the Wisconsin Hall of Fame Collection (381), in Box 6, folder 2. This folder contains materials related to Stott’s 1985 induction into the Forestry Hall of Fame. There is a photo of him that was used to create his plaque, the plaque inscriptions, biographies, and a speech that was given about him.
Biography from the Wisconsin Society of American Foresters https://www.wisaf.org/wisconsin-forestry-hall-of-fame/1985-calvin-b-stott/
“In Memoriam” Stott’s death is mention in the FHAW Chips & Sawdust Newsletter, from May 1991, on the final two pages https://www.foresthistoryassociationwi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2-May-1991.pdf
Newspaper Articles
*March 19, 1957, Janesville Daily Gazette, “Speaker Discusses Forest Inventory” Cal Stott gave a presentation to a Historical Society in Lake Mills, WI.
*September 15, 1961, Sheboygan Press, “Be More Alert, Aggressive, U.S. Official Tells Loggers,” The 16th Annual Lakes States Logging Congress was held and the main recommendation for loggers to pay more attention to new business opportunities. The final paragraph mentions that “Cal Stott of Milwaukee” was honored for his “outstanding contributions to the industry.”
*March 21, 1962, Rhinelander Daily News, “Foresters Open Seminar at Trees Camp March 25,” The Lake States Council of Industrial Foresters sponsored its second annual seminar at the Trees for Tomorrow Camp. Stott is listed in the final paragraph as a speaker for the event.
*March 7, 1964, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, “Foresters in State Support Constitutional Amendment,” There was a proposed state constitution amendment to raise the tax on forestry products. The Wisconsin-Michigan SAF met, and they voted in approval of the amendment. It also mentions that Calvin Stott was honored with the Distinguished Service Award (and there is a picture of Stott). This article is split between two pages (* pages 1 & 8 are separate files in digital folder)
UWSP Archives
In UWSP Archives has many materials on Stott and CFI in FHAW Collection (104), boxes 9-13. These documents are largely not scanned but the documents with the greatest focus on CFI are highlighted below. These boxes also contain other forestry scholarship and location specific materials that would be valuable for specific research topics.
Box 9
Folder 2 “Correspondence, 1961-1964” This is a substantial folder that has correspondence that are either to or from C.B Stott. There are many on Forest Assistance Program with Menominee Enterprises.[1] There are many letters to or from, Carl Hakenson of Menominee Enterprises, Harry Thorne of the Wisconsin Conservation Department, and others.
Folder 3 “Correspondence, 1965-1967” In this folder of correspondence letters with Menominee Enterprises continue. Many of the letters are also between Stott and James (Jim) Heinz.
Folder 4 “Guide to Stand Structure Analysis for the Old Growth Northern Hardwood and Hemlock Forest, 1943” This is a book that was published by Region Nine Milwaukee office of the USFS. Stott is included among the four individuals who helped prepare this book. There is also a letter from Stott tucked inside it.
Folder 5, 6, 7 “Local Woods – Continuous C.F.I. Field Tally” Continues into Box 10, folder 1 and 2. These contain papers with tables that have data in them. There are 5 folders of these tallies. This data is presumed to have been collected by Stott, his name is found on the bottom of most of the pages. All five of these folders, at least to the untrained eye, look the same. (*There is a brief sample of these tallies in the digital folder)
Box 10
Folder 1, 2 “Local Woods – Continuous C.F.I. Field Tally”
Folder 3 “Local Woods – Shrubby Plant Census, 1964-1968” More pages of tally information
*Folder 4 “Manuscript – In the Days of Lorna Doone, by Cal Stott” This is a handwritten document written in 1987.
Folder 5 “Menominee Forest Survey Guide, 1970” This is a field guidebook. There are also two letters in the front with Richard Winslow of Banzhaf & Co. and George Banzhaf. The one letter mentions the Menominee lawsuit.
*Folder 10 “Publication – Clear Cutting is not the Answer to Economic Management of Northern Hardwood Forest, by Cal Stott, 1968” This is an article written by Stott from the Michigan Technical University, Sugar Maple Conference Proceedings.
Box 11
Folder 1 “Publication – Comparison of Investment and Earnings of Hardwood Trees in the Northern Lake States, 1942” This is a book that was published by Region Nine Milwaukee office of the USFS. Stott is included among the six individuals who helped prepare this book
Folder 3 “Publication – Conference on Continuous Forest Inventory with International Business Machine Computing, 1953” This was a conference associated with the USFS Region 9 Milwaukee office on CFI.
Folder 7 “Publication – Forest History Vol. 6, No. 3, Fall 1962” This edition of the Forest History magazine includes an article on the “Evolution of the Society of American Foresters, 1934-1937” Stott would have been a member of the SAF during these years.
Folder 8 “Publication – A Generalized Forest Growth Projection System Applied to the Lake States Region, 1981” This is a USDA Technical report. Included inside is a Rolfe Leary with the USFS, who apologizes for an error in where the acknowledgements page was not in the final printing. Rolfe sent this letter along with the corrected version of the book that includes Stott’s name on page 21.
Folder 13 “Publication – Notes on a Continuous Forest Inventory Conference, Portland, OR, July 12-14, 1960” This is the book from a conference on CFI. Stott’s names is not found among the presenters or attendees but there is information on the state of CFI. The correspondence include inside suggests this copy was purchased and Stott may not have attended.
Folder 16 “Publication – A Plan for Continuous Forest Control of Menominee Enterprises Incorporated Lands, Confidential Report” There not direct references to Stott but he was involved with MEI, from his correspondence with them. This document open with a nice summary of the tribal termination; there is a more in-depth history in the appendix (page A-1). There is a lot of explanation and data of forestry on the Menominee reservation.
Box 12
*Folder 5 “Publication – Proceedings – Forest Management Control conference, Purdue University, Feb. 1960” Stott was a speaker at this conference. Stott can be seen in a group photo. Stott’s presentation, “Tree Records Are Only as Good as the Techniques Used in Making them” is sounds on pages 10-20. The comments that happened after the presentation are also included.
*Folder 6 “Publication – Proceedings of Short Course in Continuous Inventory Control in forest Management, May 1959” This was a conference held in Athens, Georgia. Stott was a presenter. His presentation was titled “Industrial CFI: What Is it, What is Does, and How it does it” (pg. 9-14).
*Folder 7 “Publication – Proceedings – Conference on Continuous Forest Inventory, May 6, 1965” Conference on Continuous Forest Inventory, May 6, 1965, in L’Anse, Michigan. Stott was a presenter and two articles by him are found in the conference proceedings “History of the Lake States’ First CFI Plots” pg. 19-27 and “A Brief on the Error Problem in CFI” pg. 140-142. The proceedings can also be found in the UWSP library “Proceedings” edited by James W. Meteer” (SD 551. C58 1965).
Folder 14 “Publication – Vocabulary of Forest Terms, 1909” This is a small book of forestry terms. “C.B. Stott” is stamped on the inside covers and some of the words are marked with different colors as if someone was studying them.
*Folder 19 “Research Notes: Conversion Programs for the MTU CFI Standard Program, November 1967” These are research note written by J.W Meteer, J.F Jewell, and C.B. Stott. This document is associate with MTU and the Ford Forestry Center. Stott’s job is listed as Consultant with Michigan Technical University.
Publications in the Journal of Forestry
Cal Stott wrote and co-wrote several pieces that were published in the Journal of Forestry. This journal can be accessed online with SAF membership or a login from an institution that has access (UWSP does not have institutional access to the older volumes). The links below will show the abstract for the article, but full access requires a log-in. The UWSP library does have hard copies in their collection of bound periodicals and the article’s page numbers are included.
How to Grade Hardwood Sawlogs” Volume 42, Issue 6, June 1944, pg. 438-440 https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-abstract/42/6/438/4707100?redirectedFrom=fulltext
“Simplified Guide to Intensity of Cruise” Volume 44, Issue 10, 1946, pg. 750-754 https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-abstract/44/10/750/4707442?redirectedFrom=fulltext
“The technique of using diameter Tape” Volume 44, Issue 2, February 1946, Pages 125–130, https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-abstract/44/2/125/4707487
“Permanent Growth and Mortality Plots in Half the Time” Volume 45, 1947, page 669-673 https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-abstract/45/9/669/4707804
“A Short History of Continuous Forest Inventory East of the Mississippi,”1968, (This article also has a picture of Stott.) https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-abstract/66/11/834/4658845?redirectedFrom=fulltext
(A copy of this article is in FHAW Col. 104, box 10, “Newsletter- Forest Control by Continuous Inventory, 1957-1959”)
Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI)
CFI is a system of inventories that are repeated to help get an understanding of how the forest changes. Cal Stott is often placed at the center of the creation of CFI. His work on it has been cited and he is credited with popularizing it in the United States. This can be seen in how his work is mentioned. Below are some examples where Stott’s influence is mentioned.
“[Stott] adapted existing technologies and refined others to develop the system that came to be known as Continuous Forrest Inventory—CFI (Incidentally, it isn’t accurate to all Cal the “father of CFI,” since similar systems had been in prior use on Europe. But he adapted the idea to use on this continent so, in keeping with his Pennsylvania origins he certainly is its Dutch uncle.” From a speech at Stott’s induction into the Forestry Hall of Fame, by Richard Smith, 1985 (full speech in induction materials folder in UWSP Archives).
“C.B. Stott of the U.S. Forest Service is generally given credit for coining the term Continuous Forest Inventory, and its abbreviation, CFI.” and “Through these monthly leaflets [Forest Control by Continuous Inventory Newsletter], and his strong personal salesmanship of CFI, Stott has made a significant contribution to the intensity of American forestry.” From approved doctoral thesis in Forestry by William Shain, “A Survey of Continuous Forest Inventory in the United States and Canada,” in 1963 at Michigan State University (https://d.lib.msu.edu/etd/36740/datastream/OBJ/View/)
“CFI was introduced into forestry by Stott” from an article titled “Evaluation of Permanent Sample surveys for growth and yield studies: a Swiss example” from the Journal of Forest Ecology and Management (71, 187-194) in 1994. (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles-Scott-9/publication/248427307_Evaluation_of_permanent_sample_surveys_for_growth_and_yield_studies_a_Swiss_example/links/5c0149ee45851523d15535d4/Evaluation-of-permanent-sample-surveys-for-growth-and-yield-studies-a-Swiss-example.pdf) [cited j of f 1947 half the time}
“The concept of CFI was originated by Stott” according to a thesis written by Shonging Huang for the Master of Forestry at the University of British Columbia in 1998, pg. 8 (https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0075388/1)
Newsletter: Forrest Control by Continuous Inventory
This was a monthly newsletter, edited and often written by Stott, published with the US Forest Service. There were 142 issues published before Stott’s retirement. The newsletter did continue for some time after his retirement, but he had a lesser role in it. This newsletter aimed to explain CFI procedures and bring more attention to it. (More is said on the newsletters impact in this doctoral thesis in Forestry by William Shain, from 1963, page 37 & 194, https://d.lib.msu.edu/etd/36740/datastream/OBJ/View/)
There are over 100 of the newsletters that are available digitally between No. 2-150, here: https://archive.org/details/ForestControlByContinuousInventory/ForestControlByContinuousInventory-Newsletter-002/mode/2up
Some of these are located in the UWSP Archives, in Col 104, Box 10, “Newsletter- Forest Control by Continuous Inventory, 1957-1959” These issues include No. 37-68 which starts with April 1957 to November 1959. (*There is a sample of the UWSP Archives copies scanned Issues 37-42)
Ford Forestry Center
Stott also had connections to the Ford Forestry Center, Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near L’Anse. This center is associated with the Michigan Technical University. On his letterhead from 1966, The Ford Forestry Center is listed as his field office and Milwaukee is his home office. In the “Research Notes” in Archive Box 12, from 1967, Stott is listed as a Consultant with Michigan Technical University.
Information on logging around the Ford Center can be found in Stott’s article in Box 10, *Folder 10 “Clear Cutting is not the Answer to Economic Management of Northern Hardwood Forest” from 1968. The Ford Forestry Center has an interesting history of its own. The area was first developed by Henry Ford as a community called Alberta. Ford donated it to Michigan Tech University in 1954.[2]
Additional Sources
Forrest History Association of Wisconsin (HHAW) YouTube Channel, Stott is not mentioned in any videos but there is a lot of great information: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqc-pjhL9WkbCluEabLOiw/videos
“Wisconsin Forest History Conference – Historic Logging Practices on Ojibwe Reservations” from September 23, 2020, Continuous Forest Inventories are briefly mentioned a few times after the 50-minute mark https://youtu.be/9EEa8Yr_fI8
FHAW Proceeding from 10th Annual Meeting in 1985- The Hall of Fame Inductees are acknowledged, Stott among them https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/tp/id/34295/rec/1
[1] Menominee Enterprises, Inc. (MEI) is the company that Menominee tribal land got transferred to when the tribe was terminated by the federal government. More info of Menominee termination & reorganization here: https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-97
Located in FHAW Box 38, is “Report – United States Court of Claims, Docket No. 134-67, Menominee Tribe, et al. v. United States of American, Volume II, “A Report on damages suffered by the Menominee as a result of the mismanagement of the Menominee Forest by the United States for the period commencing July 10, 1951,” November 1, 1971, George Banzhaf & Company” this is an interesting document that gives information on a lawsuit from the Menominee tribe.
[2] More information on the Ford Forestry Center: https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MI-01-BG4 https://www.upmatters.com/our-community/lanse-our-community-tour-henry-fords-connections-to-the-u-p-and-the-history-of-alberta/