By the mid-1920s, many of the old-growth forests of the southern United States had been cleared.  
Forest landowners large and small struggled with what to do with these cutover lands, and the few foresters available had few options for them.
Les Pomeroy and Gene Connor, two engineers-turned-lumbermen from Madison, Wisconsin, turned the lessons they learned running a small mill in southeastern Arkansas into a profitable and sustainable selection management system that helped change the profession.
By working with landowners to carefully select which pines to cut, and which to leave, and how to protect the new pine seedlings that germinated after harvesting, Pomeroy and Connor transformed an impediment into a new revenue stream.
Their work helped inspire other foresters elsewhere to develop viable timber management systems in southern pines, and their small operation deserves credit for helping southern forests to rebound after decades of abuse and neglect.
This paper summarizes the efforts of Pomeroy and Connor, and provides a fascinating glimpse into the early decades of sustainable forestry.  I hope you enjoy the article!