The Research Work Unit (RWU) was formed in 1938, and was located on the
Harrison Experimental Forest (photo below), 20 miles north of Gulfport, Mississippi. The
Unit was under the direction of Dr. T. E. Snyder, an
internationally known and respected termite specialist, in the Southern Forest Experiment Station in New Orleans,
Louisiana. Mr. Harmon R. Johnston (pictured at
right) was the first entomologist in the Project, and he studied biology and control of subterranean termites and ambrosia beetles.
Dr. Snyder was transferred to Washington, D.C. in 1945, and Dr. Joseph R. Kowal was
assigned to Gulfport, MS as Project Leader. At this time the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
provided funds to expand the research on control of subterranean termites.
By 1946, there were five entomologists assigned to Gulfport Unit with the addition of Sam
Dews, J. Vaughn, and Herb Secrest. During this time, in addition to wood products insect
research, Unit scientists conducted some research on control of insects attacking forest trees.
In 1948, Dews and Vaughn were replaced by John F. Coyne and Robert Morris, who expanded
the research to include sawflies, ips bark beetles, southern pine beetles, and black turpentine
beetles. At this time the Unit was responsible for an area covering Alabama, Arkansas, East
Oklahoma, East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands,
and for all work in the U.S. on insects attacking wood products.
In 1954, Johnston was promoted to Project Leader, and Dr. Kowal was reassigned to Asheville,
N.C. Concurrently, Morris was assigned to the Panama Canal Zone to begin accelerated testing
of new insecticides against termites. In 1956 Virgil K. Smith began working with the
Unit, and in
1958, Raymond H. Beal arrived in Gulfport. By 1961, most of the research concerning insects
that attack living trees was transferred to other Forest Service research locations, while wood
products insect research remained in Gulfport. In 1960 the RWU was moved to a new facility in
Gulfport, MS (photo below).
Some of the research studies that were begun from 1946 to 1958 on the Harrison Experimental
Forest are still in progress. These include studies that proved the effectiveness of the
chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides (aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, and heptachlor) for
subterranean termite prevention and control. These chemicals were successfully used for over 30 years to protect wooden buildings and other wood products in the U.S. Benzene hexachloride
(BHC) was proven effective against ambrosia beetles, bark beetles, and southern pine beetles.
Lindane (BHC) is still being used to protect green logs from ambrosia beetles.
In 1965 the Unit was expanded to include 7 scientists with the addition of Ms. Fairie Lyn Carter,
chemist, and three entomologists: Drs. Richard V. Smythe, Dr. Joe K. Mauldin, and Mr. J. P.
Secrest. In 1967, Mr. Secrest was reassigned and replaced by Mr. Lonnie H. Williams, a wood
preservation specialist.
In 1969, the RWU was divided into two sections. One was headed by Johnston and conducted
research on control of subterranean termites and powderpost beetles. Smythe headed the second
section that was devoted to developing new, safe, and effective control techniques based on
studies of the biology, behavior, and physiology of subterranean termites and powderpost
beetles.
Johnston retired in 1971 and Smith was promoted to Project
Leader of the "control" section of
the RWU, until 1973 when Smythe consolidated the two sections into one Project and became
the Project Leader. In 1974, Smythe was transferred to Washington, D.C. and was replaced by
Dr. Michael I. Haverty in 1975. Also in 1975, Dr. Ralph W. Howard began working for the
Project as a chemist. In 1977, Haverty was transferred to California, and Mauldin became the
Project leader. Carter retired in 1984 and was replaced in 1985 by Dr. C. A. McDaniel.
Howard was transferred to Manhattan, Kansas in 1984; Smith retired in 1980 and was replaced
by Dr. Susan C. Jones in 1981; Beal retired in 1986 and was replaced by Dr. Bradford M. Kard
in 1987. In 1990, a wood technologist, Ms. Maureen Mitchoff, joined the Unit and worked
closely with Williams.
In 1994, Mauldin retired from the Forest Service and was replaced by Dr. Janine E. Powell
as the Project leader in 1995. By1996 Williams and
McDaniel retired from the Forest Service and Mitchoff and Jones left the Forest Service.
During 1996 the Wood Products Insect Research Unit was relocated to Starkville,
MS because of aging and non-compliant facilities in Gulfport and in 1997,
Powell left the Unit to join the USDA, ARS Unit in Stoneville, MS. The culmination of these events left the
Unit in temporary
facilities with no stable leadership and a skeleton crew of one scientist, Brad
Kard, and two technicians. In 1998, Dr. Marita P. Lih came to the Unit from the University of Arkansas.
Dr. Terence L. Wagner was hired as Project Leader in January 1999,
followed by 4 technicians, a support services specialist, and secretary.
Lih left the Forest Service in 2000. Dr. Joseph Mulrooney, a research entomologist,
joined the Project in 2000. Recently, Kard left the Forest Service to join the faculty at Oklahoma State University.
Harrison Experimental Forest -- 1938
Gulfport Forest Service Laboratory
-- 1960
