Henry E. Hardtner facts for kids

Henry Ernest Hardtner (September 10, 1870 – August 7, 1935) was a Louisiana businessman and a champion for nature. He is known as "the father of forestry in the South." He started and named the town of Urania in La Salle Parish. He also served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Legislature. In 1900, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican but did not win.

Early Life and Business Beginnings

Henry Hardtner was born in Pineville, Louisiana. His parents, E. J. Hardtner and Emma Schraeder, were of German background. His father came from Germany in 1865 and was a shoemaker.

Henry's father and J.M. Nugent built a small sawmill north of Alexandria. This was after the Missouri Pacific Railroad built a line through the thick pine forests. Henry worked in his father's business. Later, he studied bookkeeping at Soule Business College in New Orleans.

Hardtner started running sawmills north of Alexandria. One of these was near Olla in La Salle Parish. Hardtner renamed this place "Urania," which means "heavenly." He chose the name because of the beautiful natural area. In 1898, he started the Urania Lumber Company. He bought more land for about $5 per acre in Caldwell Parish.

He also built a logging railroad, the Natchez, Urania and Ruston. It was not fully completed, but it helped him travel for his business and conservation work. Besides his forestry work, Hardtner was active in his church and other community groups.

A Champion for Forests

Henry Hardtner's younger brother, Quintin Theodore Hardtner (known as Quincy), managed the sawmill. Henry spent his time buying land and learning about how trees grow and how to harvest them. He bought more land in Winn Parish.

He realized that he could grow a second crop of trees after the first ones were cut. He told his workers not to cut smaller trees. This allowed them to grow to full size. He also made sure to leave four "seed trees" per acre. These trees would help new trees grow naturally. He even created a simple system to protect his land from fires. He also fenced young longleaf pines to protect them from wild hogs. His ideas for replanting forests were very advanced for his time.

Hardtner once said:

I was born in the forests and have had close association with them since childhood. What I know of them cannot be learned in schools or colleges. To me, they are as human [beings], and I know the trees as I try to know men.

Working for Forest Laws

Before he became a lawmaker, Hardtner worked hard for forestry laws. In 1904, he helped pass Louisiana Act 113. This law created a state department of forestry. It also started a program to prevent forest fires. The law suggested replanting empty lands and teaching about forestry in schools.

Hardtner's ideas were also gaining attention across the country. In 1908, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt held a big meeting called the White House Conservation Conference of Governors. Louisiana's Governor Newton C. Blanchard attended, along with Hardtner and his friend William Edenborn. Louisiana became the first state to create a commission to protect natural resources. Governor Jared Y. Sanders, Sr. signed the bill in 1908. He named Hardtner as the chairman of this seven-member state commission.

Working with Experts

Hardtner connected with the Yale University School of Forestry and the United States Forest Service. In 1917, he invited Yale forestry professor Herman Haupt Chapman to bring students to Louisiana. They trained on Urania Lumber Company lands. These visits continued for many years. Hardtner set up a camp where students lived in tents. They learned to measure trees, draw maps, and plan logging railroads.

In 1915, the U.S. Forest Service started doing experiments on Hardtner's land. They studied controlled burning, thinning forests, and how fast longleaf pine trees grew. Hardtner believed strongly in natural reproduction of trees. He never planted seeds or trees himself.

He explained that his "actual forestry work commenced in 1908." He traveled and attended conventions to learn more. He realized he had to "blaze my own trail" because there wasn't much information on forestry back then.

Six-Point Plan for Conservation

The conservation commission created a six-point plan:

• (1) Protect cutover pine lands from fire right away.
• (2) Stop all kinds of waste when cutting timber.
• (3) Create state forest reserves from gifts and purchases.
• (4) Fix the tax system on young, growing timber.
• (5) Start a tax on mature timber when it's cut. The money would go to forestry conservation.
• (6) Create a department of forestry.

Hardtner's hard work slowly led to changes. He was named chairman of the new Louisiana Conservation Commission. In 1917, Reginald D. Forbes became Louisiana's first professional state forester. Hardtner also helped start the Louisiana Forestry Association and was its first president. He was also active in the Southern Forestry Conference and the Southern Pine Association. He wrote many articles to share his ideas about managing forests.

Political Life

In 1910, Henry Hardtner was elected as the first state representative from the new La Salle Parish. He worked to pass laws about forestry and conservation. He also helped create Act 261 of 1910. This law allowed state and local governments to tax cutover lands at a lower rate if timber was grown and cared for on the land.

Hardtner was also the first president of the La Salle Parish Police Jury. This group is like a county commission in other states. He served from 1908 to 1910 and again from 1912 to 1920. His term as a state representative was from 1910 to 1912. He was a state senator from 1924 to 1928. He also helped write the Louisiana Constitution in 1921, which included some basic rules about forestry.

Family Life

Henry Hardtner was married to Juliet Doerr (January 29, 1885 – November 15, 1936). She was from St. Louis, Missouri. They had three daughters.

Legacy

In August 1935, Henry Hardtner passed away in a highway accident while traveling to Baton Rouge. His legacy is about managing forests so that trees can be harvested forever. His ideas helped shape how timber is managed across Louisiana, the South, and the entire country.

Juliet Doerr Hardtner passed away in New Orleans a year after her husband. Henry and Juliet Hardtner are buried together at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Pineville.

On April 27, 1939, a special bronze plaque was placed in Urania Town Park to honor Hardtner. The school and sawmill closed for the ceremony. The plaque was a gift from several forestry groups and the Hardtner family.

Henry and Quincy Hardtner are also honored by the Episcopal Camp Hardtner and Conference Center. It is located near Pollock in Grant Parish. The camp started with 40 acres and grew after World War II. The first summer camp was held there in 1948.

The Henry Hardtner Award recognizes people who help manage forests in a sustainable way. This award is given by the Southern Group of State Foresters. The first award was given in 1999 to Rhett Johnson.

Other winners of the Hardtner award include:

• 2004 - George D. Kessler of Clemson University
• 2006 - Rick Hamilton of North Carolina State University
• 2006 - Dr. James Earl Kennamer, National Wild Turkey Federation
• 2012 - Dr. Jeff Stringer, University of Kentucky
• 2013 - Dr. Mark Megalos of North Carolina State University
• 2018 - Sam Cook, NC State University, College of Natural