Mr. Tom Busch
He is the “Father of Forestry Mechanization in the South.” Mr. Busch was a pioneer in the harvesting, handling, and transporting forest products. As a forester, developer, and inventor with International Paper, his machines radically improved harvesting productivity. He developed or improved many machines; his most notable accomplishments are the Busch Combine and TH-100, timber harvesters.
Professor Thomas J. Corcoran, Jr.
He served on the forestry faculty at University of Maine for 35 years where he created and lead the forest engineering program. Professor Corcoran was an internationally renowned scholar with many publications, achievements, and recognitions. His career included much service to forest engineering; he spent his life advancing the profession. He served forest engineering, COFE, and SR. COFE faithfully.
Mr. George Cronwall
He provided leadership in forest operations and logging in the Northwest. Mr. Cronwall helped initiate the Pacific Logging Congress and further the development of new technologies in forest operations. His efforts were instrumental in the development of the earlier forest engineering programs at University of Washington, Oregon State University, and the University of British Columbia.
Professor Bernard E. Fernow
He was the first professional forester in North America and probably should be considered the “Father of Forest Engineering.” Professor Fernow’s most notable contribution was his leadership in establishing the first Forest Engineering program in North America at Cornell University. He also promoted forest engineering as a discipline. He had an outstanding career which included first chief of U.S. Forest Service.
Professor Donald M. Matthews
He was Professor of Forest Management at the University of Michigan and is known for his text “Cost Control in the Logging Industry.” He is the “Father of Forest Engineering Economics.” Professor Matthews developed logging analyses methodologies that are still used today and helped define forest engineering as a separate discipline.
Professor Henry R. “Pat” Paterson
He was Professor, Department Head, and Professor Emeritus at Oregon State University, a career of 37 years as an educator. He was instrumental in the development of forest engineering, a leader in the education and training of forest engineers, a pioneer of the profession, and distinguished teacher. He was a stalwart role model, a guide for all forest engineers.
Professor J. Kenneth Pearce
He was a registered professional engineer and served as Professor and Professor Emeritus of Logging Engineering at the University of Washington. Professor Pearce studied logging operations in many countries and served as advisor to the World Bank on the improvements of logging operations. He contributed much to the profession through his teaching and textbooks.
Mr. Glenn M. Plummer
As harvesting development manager for Georgia Kraft, he provided leading edge mechanization for timber harvesting. Mr. Plummer developed timber harvesting production and cost data, and was foremost in many technology developments in the South. He provided substantial technical and leadership contributions to forest engineering, and was a pioneer in harvesting education and research.
Mr. C. Ross Silversides
A forest engineering graduate, he served as Woodlands Manager for Abatibi Paper Company, later was responsible for harvesting research with the Canadian Forest Service, and after retirement served as an advisor to the Canadian National Institute of Science. He was a consultant on many forest engineering projects around the world, authored many publications, and coauthored two books. He received many awards and much recognition for his achievements, including two honorary doctoral degrees.