6. Forest Manager

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: What was Harry Nettleton like? What was his background?

William A. Davies: Well, he had a couple of degrees in forestry and he worked for the BLM for quite a while. Nettleton was a very sensitive type person. He had diabetes, and that seemed to affect his personality. He was very sensitive. I know one day we were eating lunch out there in the forest - we were looking at some timber or something - and he said, 'tYou know, my life has been wasted."

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: What did he mean?

William A. Davies: Now that's just what I asked him, and he said, "Well, this weekend a college friend of mine visited me in his Cadillac and told me about the ranch he had with 5,000 head of cattle and so forth." And he said "What do I have? My life has been wasted." It wasn't, because he was a highly regarded teacher when he taught here; the students thought a great deal of him; he wrote the book that was used in that course and used in other schools; and his life really wasn't wasted.

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: But he saw it that way?

William A. Davies: He saw it that way. He was very sensitive, I think due to diabetes. I understand it sometimes affects people that way; makes them melancholy.

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Is that why he stopped being the forest manager?

William A. Davies: No, he reached retirement age and retired.

William A. Davies: Right.

6. FOREST MANAGER

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Then that's when you took over?

William A. Davies: Right.

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: In a dual role, as department head as well as forest manager?

William A. Davies: Yes.

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: That was a pretty big responsibility.

William A. Davies: As I look back on it, I was really foolish to undertake the two, since I taught 20 class hours a week through three tenms besides.

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Boy, that's a lot of teaching and administration.

William A. Davies: I know.

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: How did you do it?

William A. Davies: Well, when George Brown came in and took over as department head, he said, "How did you ever keep up in that triple job you had?" And I told him, "I didn't, I didn't keep up. I didn't do the things I wanted to do, because I just didn't have the time."

Royal G. Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Did you draw up a management plan of the forest when you became the forest manager?

William A. Davies: Not a formal type of management plan, because we had a rough schedule of work out there. There had been so many management plans drawn up by several graduate students who got their master's degree by making a management plan of McDonald Forest and we sort of used those - the better ones of them, the best of them.

Work Program, July 1, 1955 through June 30, 1956 (Four man summer crew plus student labor during school year)

McDONALD FOREST

Timber Sales: Lay out, post and cruise for future sale approximately one million feet of timber in N'/2 of Sec. 17 T. 11 5., R. 5 W. (Part clear-cut and part selection logging of scattered mature timber.)

Roads Construction: One-half mile of access road from Powder House Saddle to upper end of fire road in Stewart tract in SE'ASE'A of Section 26 and NE'ANE'A of Section 35, T. lOS., R. SW. (To complete access road from Soap Creek to Powder House Saddle.)

Relocate and construct: Fire road on Jackson Place in SE'A of Sec. 16-11-5 leading from main access road to powder lime crossing - approximately one-half mile - including installation of larger culvert at Jackson Creek crossing.

Clear and blade: Old logging road from Starker's Saddle at head of Alder Creek to base of lookout point in SW'ANW'A of Sec. 7-10-5 (South half of newly acquired Bank Eighty.) (Approximately one mile)

Clear and blade: Old ranch road from Oak Creek, south of sawmill to old barn in NW'ANE'A of 18-11-5 for fire protection purposes - plus survey of possible connection with south end of fire road spur in NE'A of 7-11-5.

Blade: Eleven miles of dirt fire roads already in use.

Widen: Peavy Cabin spur road.

Pruning & Thinning: Pine plantations at end S.W. of Peavy Cabin. Pine plantation adjacent to Highway 99W at Arboretum. (Latter by fire crew at Arboretum) Continuation of pruning and thinning south and west of sawmill as time will allow.

Weed Eradication: Spray poison oak in proposed demonstration woodlot in Reservoir Tract. Spray tansy ragwort in area west of Sulphur Springs. (Depends on State Board of Forestry appropriation for ragwort control.)

Improvements: Repair tables and erect six fireplaces in Sulphur Springs camp-ground and plant post barriers across frontage to prevent cars from cutting up sod in picnic area.

Tree Planting: At least 40,000 2-0 D.F. at Lewisburg Saddle, and in area west of Sulphur Springs. (One forty)

ADAIR TRACT

Timber Sales: Lay out, post, cruise and process a sale of approximately 2½-3 MM board feet of mature timber in Section 16 and 21, T. 105., R.5W.

Roads: Blade 15 miles of existing fire roads.

Fire Protection: Lay out and cruise Snag Patch No. 2. Dam, (temporarily) all water sources suitable for water holes for power pumps.

Weed Eradication: Spray tansy ragwort as time allows (depends on State Board of Forestry appropriation for ragwort control.)