Ralph Sheldon Hosmer (March 4, 1874 - July 20, 1963) was

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

's first territorial

forester A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Fores ...

, a contemporary of

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsyl ...

who was among the group of educated American foresters that organized what is now the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

. Hosmer later joined the faculty of Cornell University as head of the department of Forestry, where he served for 28 years until his retirement.

Early life

Hosmer was born in

Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachus ...

to father George Herbert Hosmer, a Unitarian minister, and mother Julia West Sheldon Hosmer. An only child, he was stricken by

pleuropneumonia Pleuropneumonia is inflammation of the lungs and pleura, pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp ...

at age 15, and to aid his recovery, was ordered by his physician to spend his time out of doors walking and being active. For several years following his illness his activities included frequent visits to the

Arnold Arboretum The Arnold Arboretum is a botanical research institution and free public park affiliated with Harvard University and located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, Massachusetts, Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston. Established in 1872, it is the ...

, where he gained the acquaintance of professor F. H. Storer, agricultural chemist and Dean of Harvard's

Bussey Institution The Bussey Institute (1883–1936) was a respected biological institute at Harvard University. It was named for Benjamin Bussey, who, in 1835, endowed the establishment of an undergraduate school of agriculture and horticulture and donated land i ...

who influenced Hosmer's development.Harding, B.C. 1957
Oral history interview with Ralph S. Hosmer
Forest History Society. Durham NC.

Education

Hosmer attended the

and the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University from Fall 1891 to June 1895, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science. Later, in 1901–1902, he earned a master's degree in forestry from the Yale University School of Forestry.

Work

From May 1896 to November 1898 Hosmer worked in the Division of Soils of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was transferred by request of

to the Division of Forestry (later the Bureau of Forestry, then the Forest Service) as a Field Assistant. After completing his degree at Yale in 1902, Hosmer returned to Washington and was promoted the following year to Chief of the Section of Forest Replacement in the Bureau of Forestry. He worked all over the country, in the New York Adirondacks to Maine to California. His experience in California introduced him to

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

trees and the role of mountain forests in supplying water for agricultural irrigation. Both became prominent components of his later work in Hawaii. In 1904, Hosmer became the first territorial forester for the newly established Division of Forestry in Hawaii. His work included efforts to preserve, protect and expand the forests of Hawaii through the establishment of large forest reserves, protection from trespass, grazing and fires, planting of exotics, and conservation education. His efforts led to the establishment of some of forest reserves on Hawaii by 1914. His contributions are memorialized at the Ralph S. Hosmer Grove in Haleakala National Park, which is now the site of a campground and picnic area. . In 1914, Hosmer replaced Walter Mulford as Professor and head of the Department of Forestry at the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University, a position he held until his retirement in June 1942.Guise, C.H. 1963. Ralph Sheldon Hosmer (1874–1963). Journal of Forestry 61(9):686.

Hosmer's Grove

Plants and animals that were brought to Hawaii by people are called "alien". The trees of

Hosmer's Grove Hosmer's Grove is an example of experimental forestation from Hawaii's territorial days. Located just inside Haleakala National Park near the summit of Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii, it includes a campsite and several hiking trails. The grove is ...

include

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

and

imported from all over the world. They were planted around 1910 by Ralph Hosmer as part of a forestry experiment. Most of the grasses seen in this area are also aliens that became established when cattle were grazed here. Hosmer's plan for timber farming in Hawaii never worked out. Only 20 of the 86 species introduced there survived. Of these, some with shallow roots are blown down in storms. Some found the soil chemistry or fungi unsuitable for growth or reproduction. But others have thrived. Some trees have escaped from Hosmer's experimental forest. The Mexican Weeping pine,

Monterey pine ''Pinus radiata'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Pinus insignis''), the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and Mexico (on Guadalupe Island and Ced ...

, and

are aggressively seeding and must be constantly tended to prevent them from overrunning the natives.

Personal and later life

He was married on December 30, 1913, to Jessi Nash Irwin in Massachusetts. They had one son, two daughters, five grandsons and one granddaughter.

References

1. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hosmer, Ralph 1874 births 1963 deaths American botanists Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Botanists active in the Pacific Cornell University faculty Forestry academics History of forestry in the United States Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni American foresters People from Deerfield, Massachusetts Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Concord, Massachusetts)