Edwin R. Browning

Edwin R. Browning completed the B.S. in Forestry in 1958. He began his Penn State career at Mont Alto, where he was a member of both the basketball and baseball teams. Upon change of location to University Park, he joined Tau Phi Delta (TPD), the social/ forestry fraternity. He lived at the TPD house for the next three years and served as the pledge-master, in charge of recruiting the next echelon of brothers. Ed was also an active member of the Sylvan staff and the Forestry Society. During the summers, Ed worked for the USDA Forest Service (USFS) on the Olympic and Six Rivers national forests.

Following graduation, Browning enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard and completed an active tour of duty at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. He earned an honorable discharge in 1964. Concurrent with the National Guard, Ed was employed with the USFS, this time in the San Juan National Forest at Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Ed’s work there covered the gamut of USFS responsibilities: timber inventory, timber harvests, regeneration, wildlife inventory, and range analysis.

Following Pagosa Springs, Ed accepted a position as Assistant District Ranger on the Shoshone National Forest, working out of Cody, Wyoming. Once again, he had a broad range of on-the-ground natural resource management activities. After this assignment, Ed worked as District Ranger on several other districts in Colorado.

At the Uncompahgre National Forest, Ed was involved in the early development of the Telluride destination ski area. Later, at Vail, Colorado, he had the lead role in protecting national forest interests in coordinating with state and local agencies in the planning and construction of numerous large projects. These included the construction of Interstate 70 over Vail Pass, the expansion of the Vail Ski Area, and the planning and early construction of the Beaver Creek destination ski area for the proposed 1976 Winter Olympics.

At Vail, Ed was also directly involved in guiding ski area development in an environmentally sensitive manner. Ed established a policy whereby ski-runs had to cleared, brought into final grade, seeded, and mulched - all within 10-days. This policy greatly reduced the exposure of open sites to erosion from heavy mountain rains common to the Rockies. It also protected streams and maintained good water quality for all downstream uses. The policy became a USFS standard for ski area construction around the state.

Ed’s successful effort in coordinating community, county, and state planning toward recreational development was recognized with the USFS Certificate of Merit.

In the mid-70s, Ed was promoted to the State and Private Forestry division of the USFS as chief liaison with the Colorado Land Use Commission and the State Division of Planning. In this role he focused on the regional development for the proposed 1976 Winter Olympics. Following, Ed was assigned to the Governor’s Task Force in the coordination of multi-agency planning of large projects (ski areas, interstate highways, etc.) involving public lands in Colorado. Ed directed an internal USFS team in the development of Area Planning Guides for the entire Southern Rocky Mountains region. These efforts established long-term national forest land use patterns, many of which are still in effect today.

In 1977, Browning became Associate Manager for the Surface Environment and Mining RD&A within the Research branch of the USFS. This special 5-year program prepared the USFS for anticipated large-scale mining activities predicted within their Western Regions. Ed’s work involved assessment of the latest research on protecting surface resources during mining and in reclaiming mined lands. These efforts led to guidelines for protecting resources during mining and reclamations thereof for regional forest management and earned Ed a second Certificate of Merit.

Ed advanced to Regional Minerals Director in the Intermountain Region. His program responsibilities involved mineral site development, reclamations, and public reviews throughout a five-state region. These efforts resulted in standards that were subsequently documented in a series of USFS managerial handbooks.

Ed’s leadership role required liaison with mineral industries, community leaders, environmental advocates, and the media. He developed and promoted a proposition whereby industry would meet or exceed given environmental standards. These accomplishments were subsequently showcased via field tours for public officials, environmental advocates, and the media. During Ed’s tenure, four mineral groups were showcased – the Big Springs Gold Mine on Humboldt NF (Nevada), oil and gas development on the Wasatch-Cache NF (Utah), coal mining on the Manti La Sal NF (Utah) and open-pit phosphate mining on the Caribou NF (Idaho). These efforts demonstrated the ability of industry to develop mineral reserves in an environmentally sound manner.

Over the course of Ed's wide-ranging, 35-year career with the USFS, he served in 14 positions on six national forests in four regions. These included assignments in all three branches of the USFS - National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and Research. He received 10 awards for outstanding accomplishment, strong leadership, and sustained, high-level performance. These culminated with the USDA's highest award - the Superior Service Award, presented to Ed by Secretary of Agriculture Edward Madigan in 1992. 

Ed and his wife Mary Alice attended his Penn State 50th Forestry Reunion at Mont Alto, and they contributed to several gifts from the Class of 1958. They sponsored/attended several western Penn State forestry reunions: Park City, Utah (1995), Tillamook, Oregon (2003), and Hood River, Oregon (2008).