Edward I. Kotok, Former Deputy Chief of Research and Development
1944-1951
USDA Forest Service
Research & Development Milestones under Edward Kotok's Leadership
Post World War II was a time of U.S. domestic growth. The National Housing Authority called for nearly 3 million new homes by the end of 1947. The Forest Products Laboratory, therefore, gave priority to kiln-drying research so that properly cured lumber would be available for new construction.
In 1948, a separate division for fire research was established within the Research Branch.
The concept of research centers (now forest science laboratories) came out of the South. Research centers were located away from forest and range experiment stations (now research station headquarters) and focused on specific subjects. Hardwood research at Stoneville, MS; research into products produced from pines and other conifers at Lake City, FL; and forest management research at Athens, GA, were examples of subject-specific research centers. Congress approved 19 new research centers for a total of 53.
Research involving aircraft for planting tree seeds on forest land that had been recently harvested and hybrid seedlings produced at the Institute of Forest Genetics showed great potential to produce heartier and faster growing nursery stock. The Institute of Forest Genetics was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 and is a part of the Pacific Southwest Research Station.
