Photos from the WFIWC Archives:
Personnel
Robert L. Furniss (1908-1980) with a bonsai Mugo pine at his Portland, OR, home ca 1974 (Furniss 2006, Fig.8B). Through his assistance with insect problems in post-war Japan during 1949-1950, he gained the respect of Japanese involved with forest protection. As a gesture of their esteem, they wanted to present him with a special bonsai tree; however, regulations prohibited its import into the U.S.
In 1962, Lillian Keen, wife of the well-known California forest entomologist, F. P Keen, gave Bob his first bonsai (Norway spruce). That caused him to take-up the exacting art of propagating and training these miniature trees such as the one shown. Like all of his endeavors, he exhaustively researched the subject and created some lovely examples that were admired greatly. However, he dismissed his creations as "amateurish examples of the art. Some day I hope to shape them up into the real thing. After 17 years of effort, it remains only a hope."(written 11 months before his death).
The quote is taken from a letter to Dennis Hamel, Forest Service Washington Office, who was wanting Bob's recommendation for a bonsai to be presented to the National Arboretum on the 75th anniversary of the Forest Service. Bob was making it clear that none of his was to be considered. Instead, he recommended contacting "Dan Robinson a trained forester, bonsai expert and landscaper who has numerous fine specimens for sale at his nursery in Bremerton, WA." Subsequently, Robinson provided a ponderosa pine from the Gifford Pinchot N.F., Washington, which became the first native American bonsai in the arboretum. The naturally dwarfed tree was 56 inches tall, 14 inches in basal diameter, and was estmated to be about 150 years old. It was presented by Chief Forester Max Peterson and Hamel and Robinson on October 28, 1980. Bob Furniss died only weeks afterward, unaware that his suggestion had been followed.
In March 2009, I inquired to Jack Sustic, Curator, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, and received the following reply: "I received your letter and am happy to tell you that the ponderosa pine is alive and well. The National Bonsai Foundation did a great piece on the repotting of the ponderosa pine. You can see it at the following address:
http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/site/whats_new_archive4.html
There are some great shots of the tree in that story. As you can see in the final shot it is in a very prominent spot in the museum. It has always been and remains today one of the visitors' favorite trees." -- Malcolm M. Furniss
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