Haydn P. Reinecker (Jerry) held a B.S. in Forestry from UC Berkeley and a M.S. in Natural Resources Administration from the University of Michigan. He was a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) with the State of California and a Certified Forester with the Society of American Foresters (SAF).
Jerry had a distinguished career spanning 31 years with the California Division of Forestry (CDF/CalFIRE), working in Yuba, El Dorado and Sacramento counties. After nine years of working as State Forest Ranger, he took a leave of absence to pursue his Master’s Degree at the University of Michigan. Upon returning to CDF in the spring of 1957, he was appointed to lead the Fire Research Program. In this role, he oversaw pioneering efforts to evaluate the practicality of using aircraft for fire suppression drops, explored the potential of cloud modification as a means of reducing lightning‑caused fires, and worked to establish reliable cost parameters for fire protection.
Jerry also conducted research on chemical fire retardants, brush clearance and fire behavior as part of the control activities and wildfire prevention efforts by the California State Division of Forestry. His master’s thesis, Fighting Forest Fires with Air Tankers (1958), remains a source for numerous publications, a testament to its lasting relevance.
Mr. Reinecker was promoted to Assistant Deputy State Forester in 1959 to lead CDF’s Engineering function. During his tenure, he had the privilege of working alongside and mentoring many of the department’s early pioneers and distinguished leaders. He remained with CDF until his retirement in 1978, overseeing statewide programs in Engineering, Personnel, Finance, Training, Safety, and Physical Fitness.
His professional dedication was reflected not only in his work but also in his active membership with the Society of American Foresters, where he contributed to the broader community of professionals committed to forest management.
Through decades of service, he advanced knowledge, trained future generations, and created systems that continue to protect communities and ecosystems from the devastation caused by wildfires and forest pathogens. His legacy is not only preserved in the forests he safeguarded, but also in the enduring standards of excellence and responsibility he instilled in the scientific and educational communities.
The Haydn P. Reinecker Distinguished Professorship in Forest Genetics
After his retirement, Jerry developed an interest in the field of Forest Genetics. He recognized the unlimited opportunities for improving forest health and resilience if the School of Forestry (now known as the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management) were to formally engage in such a program. In 1992, he and his wife established the Distinguished Professorship in Forest Genetics at the University of California, Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources (RCNR), ensuring that future generations of scholars would continue to expand knowledge in the discipline he cared so deeply about.
The Haydn P. Reinecker endowed Chair of Forest Genetics was established to better understand the genetic architectures of California’s forest tree species, leading thereby to maintaining or improving the genetic quality of those species. Major emphasis will be on the perpetuation of the white pine species, Pinus lambertiana, and on the management, maintenance and ecology of present and future stands and plantings of the white pine species, with particular attention to the blister rust disease and/or the species’ beneficial genetic atributes.
The fund income may be used for genetic research on other pine or forest species if the blister rust disease is eliminated, or if the Dean of the College of Natural Resources, in consultation with forest industry leaders, determines that the effort to eliminate blister rust disease is a failing effort; or that other forest genetics research programs are more promising. 50% of the fund income will also advance the development of commercial forest products using modern genetics as long as there is a need for the research.
Benjamin Blonder, PhD, is the current holder of the Professorship. He is an Associate Professor at UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and the lead researcher for the Macrosystems Ecology Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona. Details of his current research are available on his professional website: Benjaminblonder.org.
H.P. Reinecker (Jerry) and his son, David – August, 2008
