Lurnber Yard, Trucks Loaded Witlmct Delay For

Genetics Pioneer Retires

Francis I. Righter, a pioneer in forest tree breeding, retired June 20 alter more than 30 years in forest genetics research, John R. McGuire. director of the U. S. Forest Service experiment station at Berkeley, has announced.

Righter is internationally famous for his work at Placerville, California, in the genetic improvement of forest trees--particularly in the prcduc'tion of pine hybrids. He started working for the Eddy Tree Breeding Station in 1931 and helped establish the Institute of Forest Genetics in 1932.

It was at the Placerville Institute that Righter worked out with his Forest Service colleagues succrssful techniques for controlling pollination of pines. These techniques have been adopted and developed by forest geneticists around the world.

Righter's hybrids, McGuire said, symbolize to scientists, foresters, and laymen the improvement that can be gained through forest genetics research. Many of these new trees grow faster than their parent species. Others are resistant to drought, frost, and forest pests.

Hybridization methods developed at the Institute have been adapted to improve forest tree species throughout the world, and scientists come to Placerville from far and wide to learn these methods and teach them to forest tree breeders in their home. land.

When Richter began his career, few foresters had much hope for practical results from forest genetics research, McGuire said.

The National Forests in California, for example, have started production of two outstanding hybrids produced by Righter and his co-workers. Korean foresters are producing and planting a hybrid first made at the Institute of Forest Genetics.

Born in Port Jervis, New York, Righter started in forestry work as a lumberjack, skidding and hauling logs in the forests of his home state. After military service in World War I, he entered Cornell University, where he took a bachelor's degree in forestry in 1923 and a master of forestry degree in 1928. He taught forestry at Cornell for about two years before joining the staff of the Eddy Tree Breeding Station in 1931.

Except for a year at tle Southern Forest Experimental Station in New Orleans, La., Righter's entire Forest Service career has been spent in California. From 1952 to 1960 he was in charge of forest genetics research for the Berkeley experiment station. For the past four years, Righter has concentrated on summarizing research in pine hybridization at the Institute of Forest Genetics near Placerville.

Wood Reseorch Story

How research helps the nation utilize its timber and other forest resources is told in a new booklet by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

The booklet, ooFocus on Research," tells how Federal research facilities are organized to meet the expanding needs of a larger population, to make full use of this major national resource, and create new industries and jobs.

Importance of timber as a basic raw material can be seen by the fact that woodbased economic activities account for about six percent of the gross national product and five percent of total employment.

In line with the upsurge of research and development in most industries in recent years, USDA through its Forest Serviceoperated Forest Products l,aboratory in Madison, Wis., and l0 interrelated regional experiment stations is upgrading and extending the uses of wood through research.

Many of the new developments arose from the cooperation between the Laboratory, experiment stations, and research facilities of other Federal agencies, universities, and private industry.

The American consumer has benefited from new wood uses developed in USDA laboratories, such as glue-laminated beams.