PUERTO RICO – The USDA Forest Service and International Institute of Tropical Forestry lost a giant of forest conservation with the passing of the IITF emeritus scientist Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth on Jan. 5th, 2022.

 

“Dr. Wadsworth was a pioneer in the study, conservation and management of forests in Puerto Rico. He humbly and compassionately shared his knowledge for the benefit of all, and his gift of service to the public will continue as a model for us and future generations,” said Grizelle González, IITF assistant director for research.

 

Ariel E. Lugo, former director and emeritus scientist of the IITF, joined the statements of mourning by highlighting that “Dr. Wadsworth arrived in Puerto Rico by boat without knowing anything about the island. Puerto Rico was the winner, since for the next 80 years Dr. Wadsworth focused his enormous energy, talent and discipline in the development of tropical forestry, which did not exist at that time.”

 

Born Nov. 26th, 1915 in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Wadsworth earned his PhD in Forestry from the University of Michigan. During his tenure as an employee of the USDA Forest Service, Dr. Wadsworth was a forester, director of the Institute of Tropical Forestry (now the International Institute of Tropical Forestry) and supervisor of the Caribbean National Forest (now El Yunque National Forest). After his retirement from the Forest Service, he continued his research as a volunteer at the Institute, always dedicated to conservation and tropical forestry. He traveled the world, learning and sharing his understanding of tropical forests in the process. He is particularly beloved throughout Latin America where they remember him as a founding father of the practice of tropical forestry. Over the course of his lifetime, Dr. Wadsworth was responsible for the development of countless foresters whom he trained and mentored in Puerto Rico and beyond.

 

Thanks to his work today, all Puerto Ricans and many others around the world understand the importance of trees and their benefits and advocate for the greening of their communities and countries. The seeds that Dr. Wadsworth sowed during his long and productive career have germinated in all of us.