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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The Department of Plant Pathology at North Carolina
State University maintains a complete file of his nearly 200
scientific publications, his extensive library of nearly two
thousanc! reprints en c! books, en c! copies of the fascinating
en c! often humorous autobiographical resume of the first
half of his career.
The range of problems in which Hepting became involves!
represents a remarkable scope in terms of the diversity of
fungi involves! en c! complexity of the factors to be consicI-
erec! in cleveloping effective means of reducing Tosses. Only
a few examples of his many contributions will be notes! in
detail.
Hepting's first research project was on heart rot of forest
trees. He cleterminec! the impact of fire scars, basal wounds,
and stump sprouts on infection and spread of decay in many
species of trees. He was the first to describe the remarkable
mechanisms with which trees restrict the clevelopment of
clecay en c! cliscoloration in stems to "tissues extant at time
of wounding." This phenomenon is now known as compart-
mentalization. His work on the hardwood! decays en c! their
origins resulted in a Farmer's Bulletin that established a set
of sound principles for effective disease management of
eastern hardwood! forests. This bulletin was user! extensively
by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a guicleline for man-
agement of federal forests, and it still serves as a basic guide
for foresters in management of hardwood! forests.
Before and during World War II, he studied fungal dis-
colorations in feller! timber en c! lumber of southern pines.
He also quantifier! the impact of cliscolorations en c! clecay
on the strength of wood veneers used in military aircraft.
In his unpublished autobiography, he described his novel
experiences in this new area of research:
We in forest pathology did not have to look for war problems; they fell into
our laps from all directions. Wood was a major war material and we in the
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GEORGE HENRY HEFTING
165
Division of Forest Pathology had the greatest fund of information on wood's
defects of any group in the nation. We knew about wood decay and how to
prevent it.
Uncler his direction the tiny group of men en c! women in
his division immecliately shifter! the emphasis of their work
from tree disease investigations to studies of problems of
wool! in service. The Navy en c! Coast Guarc! wan tee! infor-
mation on the prevention of clecay in wooden boats en c!
they also planner! to built! some wooden airplanes en c! glicI-
ers. The Army was aireacly buiTcling all-wooc! training planes
en c! was considering wool! gliclers. Furthermore, they hac!
costly wool! clecay problems in builclings, truck bellies, en c!
bridge timbers.
By the time of World War II, there was a critical shortage in aircraft metals.
Most of the available light metals were to go into combat planes bombers
and fighters so that the great bulk of thousands of training planes would
have to be made of wood. Gliders, of which we were to require a great
number, were also to be made largely of wood. Yellow poplar, one of the
most important aircraft veneer species, is subject to many discolorations in
the living tree. Early in the war, most of this colored poplar wood was
being discarded from the aircraft grades on suspicion that it was weak.
Nobody knew for sure whether or not it was weak, but the manufacturers
did not trust it, and the Army did not like the looks of it. I was asked to
undertake a study to determine whether the discolorations so common in
yellow poplar really indicated decreased strength of wood. I immediately
went to several veneer mills and obtained hundreds of samples, including
all of the common discolorations and normal-colored wood as well. We
carefully matched each discolored stick with an adjacent normal-colored
stick and sent the samples to the Forest Products Laboratory for testing.
When the results were analyzed, we found that the great bulk of discolored
wood was normal in strength, and that only browns, indicating rot, were
weak. These results were released promptly to the veneer industry, the
aircraft industry, and the Army. The harmless discolorations were then
accepted. The production of poplar aircraft veneer went up 25%.
Wooden gliders were being turned out in quantity. Since our training fields
each had from one hundred to several hundred aircraft, space to house
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
these great numbers of airplanes could not easily be provided. Therefore,
they generally remained in the open all of the time, exposed to the ele-
ments. Since most of the kinds of wood used in aircraft were known to
decay readily under conditions of high moisture and warmth, and since
there was no tendency among manufacturers to treat this wood chemically
against decay, it seemed to us that some serious decay problems might
develop in our Army airplanes. In December of 1942 I asked my chief, if he
would let me go into the field and study the problem of deterioration in
wooden military airplanes and gliders. He agreed that sooner or later the
armed services would run into trouble from decay in aircraft, so he as-
signed me to this work and ordered me to report to the Army Air Forces
Materiel Command at Wright Field, to make arrangements for my surveys
at Army fields.
Hepting visited dozens of Army airfields in the East, South,
en c! MicicIle West, checking the all-wooc! airplanes en c! wooden
parts of others for signs of clecay. Subsequently Hepting
en c! his group cliscoverec! a number of factors leacling to
clecay problems en c! clevelopec! procedures to eliminate or
reduce them. Technical orders were issued to improve strin-
gency of inspection and cleaning of drains in all wood air-
craft. Huncirecis of planes were grounclec! for repairs, en c!
the prospects of serious accidents were consiclerably reclucecI.
Reviser! specifications were macle for airplane manufactur-
ers on improving the design of drainage systems. Thus,
through the efforts of Hepting en c! his research group, the
deterioration problems in wool! aircraft were correctec! early
in the war. The importance of this major contribution to
one phase of the war effort has not been fully recognized.
Upon completion of this excursion into problems of clete-
rioration en c! clecay of wool! products in the armor! ser-
vices, Hepting en c! his staff clevotec! their research to a se-
ries of problems affecting forest trees in the south.
Littleleaf disease of southern pines prover! to be one of
his greatest challenges. He organizer! research teams to in-
vestigate different aspects of the problem and stimulated
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GEORGE HENRY HEFTING
167
both industry en c! government to support these efforts. In
the end, he cleterminec! that the little-leaf disease resultec!
from a progressive deficiency of nitrogen inclucec! by a com-
plex interaction among certain soil conditions, feecler-root
pathogens, lancI-use practices, en c! stanc! density that clevel-
opec! in many short-leaf pine stancis as the trees increasec!
with age.
A destructive wilt disease of mimosa began to cause high
mortality in this species in North Carolina in the late 1930s.
In Hepting's investigation of the problem he iclentifiec! the
causal fungus as a previously unclescribec! species of Fusar~um,
his report on these studies was one of the first descriptions
of a tree disease causer! by a species in this taxonomic group.
In the several clecacles that follower! it was not possible to
clevelop a means of preventing the spreac! of this pathogen,
en c! the disease essentially eliminatec! mimosa from the Dis-
trict of Columbia to Alabama. In recognition that the only
effective means of control was the clevelopment of resistant
cultivars, Hepting en c! Richarc! Toole screener! thousands
of mimosa genotypes after WorIc! War II en c! cliscoverec! a
number of highly resistant selections. From these selections
the cultivars "Charlotte" en c! "Tryon" were clevelopec! en c!
patented. As requires! by law, the patent was assignee! to the
Secretary of Agriculture, who releaser! it to the nursery tracle
through the American Nurserymen's Association. Several
clecacles after the release of these cultivars, they were still
being wiclely plantecI, en c! they continue to be resistant to
this day.
Hepting en c! coworkers cliscoverec! a number of previ-
ously unclescribec! diseases that were damaging southern
tree species, inclucling the pitch-canker disease of southern
pines, en c! iclentifiec! the specific causal fungi. Subsequently
they fount! that pine trees inoculates! artificially with the
pitch-canker fungus were stimulates! to incluce oleoresin
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
flow with clesirable results. This procedure was patentee!
en c! user! commercially.
When the oak wilt disease began to spreac! in the south-
ern Unite c! State s , Hepting assume c! a le aclership role in a
national effort to gain an unclerstancling of the biology of
the pathogen en c! manner of dissemination. He clesignec!
en c! supervisec! large-scare surveys to determine the extent
of spreac! into Tennessee en c! western North Carolina. Dur-
ing these efforts he cliscoverec! the role of mating types in
the life history of the oak wilt fungus, a fincling that he
consiclerec! one of his most personally satisfying scientific
achievements.
In micI-career Hepting hac! a key role in resolving a con-
troversy involving the use of antibiotics for control of white
pine blister rust. In the late 1950s a U.S. Forest Service
technician, employoc! in the white pine blister-rust control
project in Idaho, published a series of papers in which claims
were macle that an antibiotic (Acticlione BR) sprayer! as a
basal application on blister-rust cankers followed by a sec-
onc! antibiotic (Phytoactin) conic! effectively prevent clevel-
opment of the rust fungus. Hepting became very skeptical
of these finclings. Studies were initiates! by members of his
staff (Harry Powers en c! others) to determine inclepenclently
the effectiveness of these compounds on white pines. In
sharp contrast to the finclings in Idaho, Powers' results in-
dicated that application of antibiotics might reduce sporu-
lation of the rust fungus, but they clic! not eradicate the
rust fungus in establishec! infections. Acticlione also was testec!
in the Southeast for the control of fusiform rust, a clestruc-
tive disease of southern pines similar to white pine blister
rust in its effects on pine trees. Results obtained in these
studies were also negative.
In 1960 Hepting and a group of Forest Service adminis-
trators and one non-Forest Service pathologist, Arthur
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GEORGE HENRY HEFTING
169
Kelman, then on the faculty of North Carolina State Uni-
versity, visitor! the establishec! test plots in Idaho en c! Wash-
ington, inclucling areas where Phytoactin hac! been applier!
by costly aerial sprays. In the course of this survey, it be-
came clear that the prior claims for effectiveness of antibi-
otic sprays conic! not be substantiated. In some plots evi-
clence was fount! that a hyperparasite of the rust fungus
(Tubercutina maxima) hac! become establishec! in rust can-
kers en c! suppressed the growth of the rust fungus. Appar-
ently the effects of the hyperparasite on the rust fungus in
the cankers hac! been overIookoc! en c! mistakenly attributer!
to the presumer! effects of the antibiotic. Basec! on these
finclings en c! Hepting's insistence on the new! for the effec-
tive experimental controls en c! proper design en c! interpre-
tation of results, a major costly fecleral program was cliscon-
tinuccI, resulting in savings of many millions of clollars. It
shouIc! be notes! that initially Hepting was severely criti-
cizec! for raising questions about this rust control program,
which was wiclely praiser! as an innovative control measure
clesignec! to save the highly valuable white pine stancis of
the western Uniter! States. However, Hepting hac! the cour-
age to persevere until the evidence was obtainer! to justify
fully his conclusions that ciata on control lacked! valiclity.
In his administrative role Hepting clirectec! pioneering
research on annosus root rot, soil fumigations in forest nurs-
eries, en c! the role of ozone en c! other photochemical oxi-
ciants as causes of disease in forests. His 1963 paper on
climate en c! forest diseases is consiclerec! the authoritative
treatise on climatology en c! plant pathology. He clevelopec!
the first computerizec! system for information retrieval in
forestry en c! his 1971 text, "Diseases of Forest en c! Shacle
Trees in the Uniter! States," provides the most comprehen-
sive encyclopeclia of knowlecige on these topics. He wrote a
definitive history of the failure of efforts to control chest
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
nut blight en c! of similar attempts to control the Dutch elm
disease after these diseases were introclucec! into North
America. In 1997, six years after retirement, he wrote with
E. B. Cowling an historical resume of achievements en c!
future progress in forest disease research. This publication
also describes the impact of Hepting's contributions on the
advancement of forest pathology, nationally en c! interna-
tionally.
On periodic visits to the campus while he hell! the post
of visiting professor of forest pathology en c! forestry at North
Carolina State University, he presented seminars en c! con-
sultec! with graduate students en c! faculty. In these sessions
he proviclec! encouragement, macle critical assessments of
research in progress, en c! servec! as a wise mentor en c! valu-
able source of knowlecige. Hepting consiclerec! this phase
of his career one of the most rewarding experiences of his
professional life. In the evaluations by graduate students of
their contacts with Hepting, they ranker! their exposure to
his wisdom en c! sharp wit as one of the highlights of their
graduate education.
He was a cofounder of the Southwicle Forest Disease Work-
shop, which is still the outstanding forum for forest pa-
thologists in this region. It proviclec! for the first time an
opportunity for government, university en c! private inclus-
try research scientists, en c! relater! workers, as well as graduate
students, to share information on research in progress en c!
to clevelop the personal relationships that foster progress in
cooperative research programs. His leaclership in this en c!
relater! activities resultec! not only in strengthening forest
disease research in the U.S. Forest Service but also in the
universities in the southern Uniter! States. The conference
inclirectly hac! a role in the establishment en c! funcling of
industry-sponsored graduate fellowships in forest entomol-
ogy and pathology. Hepting also had an influential role in
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GEORGE HENRY HEFTING
171
the increasec! participation of forest pathologists in inter-
national forestry policy discussions en c! in the activities of
the American Phytopathological Society, including the es-
tablishment of the subject matter committee on forest pa-
thology. He was an associate editor of Phytopathology en c! for
a number of years was a member of the Eclitorial Boarc! of
Annual Review of Phytopathology. He also servec! on several
committees of the National Academy of Sciences en c! ecI-
itec! the National Research Council text entitles! "Principles
of Plant Disease Control."
Hepting's achievements in forest pathology were recog-
nizec! by many honors en c! awards. In 1969 he became the
first forester electec! to the National Academy of Sciences.
He also receiver! the Superior Service Awarc! of the U.S.
Department ofAgriculture (1954) anc!the Barrington Move
Awarc! for Outstanding Achievements in Forestry Research
(1963~. He was electec! a fellow of the Society of American
Foresters (1965) en c! of the American Phytopathological
Society (1966~. He receiver! the first Southern Forest Pa-
thologist Achievement Awarc! (1967), the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Merit Awarc! for Achievement in Cost Recluc-
tion for clevelopment of an effective electronic literature
retrieval system for forest pathology ( 1 967), the Delta Air-
lines "Flying Colonel" Awarc! for Service to Aviation (1972),
the International Shacle Tree Conference "Authors Cita-
tion Award" for his handbook on "Diseases of Forest en c!
Shacle Trees in the Uniter! States ~ ~ 974), ant! the
Weyerhaeuser Awarc! for Outstanding Historical Writing from
the Forest History Society ~ ~ 974) .
In the course of his career Hepting traveler! extensively
en c! completer! research assignments in Europe, Puerto Rico,
Haiti, en c! the U.S. Virgin Islancis. He also server! as a con-
sultant to the forest products industries of New Zealanc!
en c! Australia.
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Few investigators in the forest sciences were able in a
lifetime to make as many major contributions as Hepting
clic! in solving diverse, complex problems. He hac! the abil-
ity to identify primary causal factors en c! rapidity gain the
depth of unclerstancling of disease situations that enablec!
him to clevise practical approaches for management prac-
tices. Long before the concepts of integratec! pest manage-
ment became fashionable, Hepting emphasizec! the new! to
integrate disease hazarc! evaluations en c! knowlecige of clis-
ease development processes into economically and biologi-
cally sounc! forest management systems. He also champi-
onec! the new! for basic research as a foundation for practical
unclerstancling en c! management of disease in forests. His
role in the Timber Resources Review of 1953 also perma-
nently changer! our perception of the nature en c! magni-
tucle of disease Tosses in forests.
Hepting was not only an effective leacler in terms of his
specific administrative assignments, but he was also an ef-
fective spokesperson for forest pathology en c! forestry in
the Uniter! States. At the peak of his career he also became
a recognizec! en c! influential international authority on for-
estry in the broac! sense. In making an assessment of his
career he stated:
It seems to me that there can be few walks of life in which a man following
a specific occupation would lead a more varied existence than he would as
a forest disease researcher. Within this seemingly restricted field, I have,
over a period of 20 years been a rock breaker, a timber cruiser, a bacteri-
ologist, an aircraft technologist, a lumberjack, a pathologist, a statistician,
and an administrator. My territory has, from time to time, included much
of our forestland from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico and west
to Texas and the Great Plains.
He hac! a remarkable ability to stimulate en c! challenge
coworkers en c! professional colleagues to clo their best, to
see the larger picture, to share their ideas with others, and
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GEORGE HENRY HEFTING
173
to help "make forest pathology pay." He was also willing to
speak frankly en c! critically when he thought the occasion
clemanclecI. In this connection he insistec! that his associ-
ates maintain the same high stanciarcis of scientific integrity
en c! quality that he always clemanclec! for himself in his own
incliviclual research endeavors. For these en c! other personal
qualities, he earnec! the high regarc! en c! creep respect of
his coworkers en c! members of his profession.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE WITH appreciation receipt of comments and letters
from colleagues and former students who knew, appreciated, and
were inspired by George Hepting. In particular we wish to thank
the following individuals who shared their impressions of Dr. Hepting
with us: Andrew Campbell, Alex Shigo, T. Kent Kirk, Robert Zabel,
Arthur Verrall, Charles Berry, William Waters, Glenn Snow, Robert
Patton, Tames Stewart, Tohn Skelly, Tohn Rishbeth, Kathleen Moore,
and Arthur Schipper.
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174
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
1935
Decay following fire in young Mississippi Delta hardwoods. U.S.
Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin, no. 494.
1936
With D. J. Blaisdell. A protective zone in red gum fire scars. Phytopa-
thology 26:62-67.
1937
With G. G. Hedgcock. Decay in merchantable oak, yellow poplar,
and basswood in the Appalachian region. U.S. Department of
Agriculture Technical Bulletin, no. 570.
1938
With A. D. Chapman. Losses from heart rot in two short-leaf and
loblolly pine stands. 7. For. 36: 1193-1201.
1939
A vascular wilt of the mimosa tree (Albizzia julibrissin). U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture Circular, no. 535.
1942
With E. R. Roth and R. F. Luxford. The significance of the discol-
orations in aircraft veneers: Yellow poplar. U.S. Department of
Agriculture mimeo publication, no. 1375.
Reducing losses from tree diseases in eastern forests and farm woodlands.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers' Bulletin, no. 1887.
1943
With E. R. Roth. Origin and development of oak stump sprouts as
affecting their likelihood to decay. J. For. 41:27-36.
1944
With A. A. Downs. Root and butt rot in planted white pine at Biltmore,
North Carolina. 7. For. 42: 119-23.
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GEORGE HENRY HEFTING
1945
175
Reserve food storage in short-leaf pine in relation to little-leaf dis-
ease. Phytopathology 35: 106-19.
With T. S. Buchanan and L. W. R. Jackson. Littleleaf disease of
pine. U. S. Department of Agriculture Circular, no. 716.
1946
With E. R. Roth. Pitch canker, a new disease of some southern
pines. 7. For. 44: 742-44.
1947
Stimulation of oleoresin flow in pines by a fungus. Science 105: 209.
1948
With E. R. Roth and E. R. Toole. Nutritional aspects of the little-
leaf disease of pine. 7. For. 46:578-87.
1949
With E. R. Toole. Selection and propagation of Albizzia for resis-
tance to Fusarium wilt. Phytopathology 39: 63-70.
With G. M. Jemison. Timber stand improvement in the southern
Appalachian region. U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous
Publication, no. 693.
1952
With E. R. Toole and J. S. Boyce, Jr. Sexuality in the oak wilt fun-
gus. Phytopathology 42:438-42.
1953
With W. A. Campbell and T. L. Copeland. Managing short-leaf pine
in littleleaf disease areas. Southeastern Forest Experiment Sta-
tion Paper, no. 25.
1955
The current status of oak wilt in the United States. For. Sci. 1:95-
103.
1963
Climate and forest diseases. Annul Rev. Phytopathol. 1:31-50.
OCR for page 176
176
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1964
Damage to forests from air pollution
1965
. 7. For. 62:630-34.
The INTREDIS register for world literature in forest pathology. In
1964 FAO/ICFRO Symposium on Internationally Dangerous For-
est Diseases and Insects 2:1-8.
1968
Diseases of forest and tree crops caused by air pollutants. Phytopa-
thology 58:1098-1101.
1974
Death of the American chestnut. 7. For. Hist. 18:60-67
1977
With E. B. Cowling. Forest Pathology: Unique features and pros-
pects. Annul Rev. Phytopathol. 15:431-50.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
george henry
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