Frank Howard Wadsworth (November 26, 1915 – January 5, 2022) was an American
forester, conservationist and researcher. He made important scientific contributions to forestry, through his work in Puerto Rico where he lived from 1942 until his death.
Life and education
Wadsworth was born on November 26, 1915, in
Chicago,
Illinois[3] to Robert Wadsworth and Helen Celestia Woodman.[4] From 1941, he was married to Margaret Pearson until her death in 1985; he was later married to Isabel Colorado Laguna until his death in 2022.[1] Wadsworth studied forestry at the
University of Michigan where he earned a bachelors and a masters degree in the field. In 1950, he received his PhD in Forestry, focusing on
tropical forest and
tropical rainforest management in Puerto Rico.[3][5][6][7]
Work
In 1938, Wadsworth worked at the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station at
Fort Valley, Arizona.[1] In January 1942, he arrived in Puerto Rico[8] to work at the Tropical Forest Experimental Station in
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.[9] In 1943, he was elected into
Sigma Xi membership.[10]
In the early 1940s, Wadsworth and assistants documented and described all of Puerto Rico's trees: 755 tree species were listed and then began a scientific method to reforest the barren lands of Puerto Rico.[12] In an interview about his work in Puerto Rico, which he gave when he was in his 90s, Wadsworth stated (in perfect Spanish) that he spent the first ten years in Puerto Rico visiting all its
forests, documenting species and their condition.[13]
In 1949, he completed the "Multiple Use and Timber Management Plan" for the Caribbean National Forest[14] now known as
El Yunque National Forest. That same year, Wadsworth was directly involved with the conservation efforts of the
Puerto Rican parrot and was successful in putting aside 3,200 acres for parrot habitat.[7][15] The Puerto Rican parrot, which had once numbered in the millions, had dwindled to around 2,000 birds by 1949, and then to only 13 by 1975.[7]
By the start of the 20th century, aggressive
agricultural use had left Puerto Rico mostly barren of forests, and attempts to restore the tropical forests had all but failed. In the 1950's, along with
agronomistJosé Marrero Torrado, Wadsworth performed comprehensive scientific research and experimentation which led to successful approaches for the reforestation of Puerto Rico. The lessons learned from these studies and efforts paved the way for reforestation efforts for tropical forests in Central and South America. During his 80 years of work, mostly in Puerto Rico,[16] his research was published in more than a hundred books and scientific journals.[17][18][19]
When interviewed in his late 90s, Wadsworth said that
agritourism goes a long way towards conservation of importance resources, surmising that "tourists make us aware of the value of our forests."[13]
Contributions to Scouting
In 1933 Wadsworth earned the rank of
Eagle Scout and remained a member of the
Boy Scouts of America for most of his life.[23] He made numerous contributions in the conservancy of
Guajataka Scout Reservation's forests, and offered numerous educational lectures to Scouts.[24] In 1952, he founded the reservation's Nature Team, which is entrusted with maintaining the Scout camp's nature education programs.[24][25] In 1954, he co-founded
Yokahu Lodge[26] of the
Order of the Arrow and served as the Ordeal Master for the first Ordeal ceremony held in Puerto Rico.[23] In 1965, he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Award by the Order of the Arrow.[27] In 2003, he published Guía Para la Isla de la Mona, a Scout guidebook on
Mona Island, on behalf of the Puerto Rico Council.[28]
In 2009, the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation recognized Wadsworth with their Sustained Achievement Award.[30][31]
In celebration of Wadsworth's 100th birthday, the
Puerto Rico Council issued a commemorative patch in 2015[32] and a posthumous set of patches, neckerchief and belt buckle in 2022.
Wadsworth was featured in the
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture's Crónicas 90 series of short documentaries highlighting the lives of people over the age of 90, who have made significant contributions to Puerto Rico's culture and arts.[37]
^
abcWadsworth, Frank H. (2008).
Memories of Fort Valley from 1938 to 1942(PDF). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. USDA Forest Service RMRS-P-53CD. 2008.
Archived(PDF) from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
^Green, L. Pearle, ed. (1915).
"Directory". Kappa Alpha Theta. 30 (1). Fraternity: 383.
Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
^
abc"La vida entre árboles" [Life among trees]. CienciaPR (in Spanish). June 8, 2007.
Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
^
abGOLDSMITH, JEFFREY H.; TSCHETTER, MARTY (2015).
"Wadsworth: Distinguished Forester"(PDF). The Silver Arrowhead. 8 (2): 2–3.
Archived(PDF) from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
^"A don Frank Wadsworth..." [To Mr. Frank Wadsworth...]. Primera Hora (in Spanish). January 7, 2022.
Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^"Yokah Tower". El Yunque National Forest.
Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^"1965 DSA Recipients". Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America.
Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
^Wadsworth, Frank H. (2003).
Guía para la Isla de la Mona [Guide for Mona Island] (PDF) (in Spanish). Concilio de Puerto Rico, Niños Escuchas de América.
Archived(PDF) from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.