George Henry Hepting (September 1, 1907 – April 29, 1988) was an American forest scientist and plant pathologist. Hepting was Chief Plant Pathologist at Southeastern Forest Experiment Station of

US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

and a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

. He has been called a "pioneer leader in forest pathology". Hepting was educated at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

with an undergraduate degree in 1929 and a Ph.D. in 1933. He spent much of his career at the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station of the

, which he joined in 1931 as a Field Assistant. He served as Chief of the Division of Forest Disease Research at the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

(1953-1961) and as Principal Research Scientist for the Washington office of the Forest Service (1962-1971). Hepting was also a visiting professor at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

(1967-1984), on plant pathology and forest resources. Hepting directed generative research on diseases of forests such as annosum root rot, the use of soil fumigation in nurseries, and the role of

ozone Ozone () (or trioxygen) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , break ...

and other oxidants as causes of diseases in forests. He was also noted for creation of the first computerized system for information retrieval in forestry. His books included the comprehensive encyclopedia ''Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees in the United States'' (1971). His research papers included the cross-disciplinary "Climate and Forest Diseases" (1963); "Death of the American chestnut" (1974), a history of the failure to control

chestnut blight The pathogenic fungus ''Cryphonectria parasitica'' (formerly ''Endothia parasitica'') is a member of the Ascomycota (sac fungi). This necrotrophic fungus is native to East Asia and South East Asia and was introduced into Europe and North America ...

; "The threatoned elms" (1977) on Dutch elm disease and elm phloem necrosis; and many others. Hepting's papers are part of the Archival Collections at NC State University Libraries.

Awards and distinctions

* 1969 - the first forester elected to the

* 1954 - the Superior Service Award of the U.S. Department of Agriculture * 1963 - the Barrington Moore Award for outstanding achievements in forestry research * 1965 - Fellow of the

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...

* 1966 - Fellow of the

American Phytopathological Society The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is an international scientific organization devoted to the study of plant diseases (phytopathology). APS promotes the advancement of modern concepts in the science of plant pathology and in plant heal ...

* 1974 - the Weyerhaeuser Award for Outstanding Historical Writing from the

Forest History Society The Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history."Forest History Society." Echo Project. Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. http://echo.gmu. ...

References

External links

Guide to the George Henry Hepting Papers 1902-1993
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepting, George H. 1907 births 1988 deaths Cornell University alumni American foresters American phytopathologists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Forestry academics 20th-century American botanists 20th-century American agronomists