Edmund Secrest (1882-1949) was Ohio’s first state forester and also served as associate director and director of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station at Wooster. Through Secrest’s efforts, Ohio passed a 1915 law enabling the state to acquire scenic lands to be used for reforestation and recreation. Today those lands make up many of Ohio’s state forests. In addition to developing many of Ohio’s re-forestation programs, Secrest developed the Wooster Arboretum, which was dedicated to him and received his name in 1950. Today the Secrest Arboretum, a 110 acre outdoor laboratory and landscape garden, is known as one of the finest long-term plant repositories in the United States.
During his time as director of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Secrest was successful in obtaining funding for the expansion of the station. Because of his work and foresight, the station was prepared for the emergence of the high-tech laboratory, which brought investigations of many problems from the field inside to the laboratory. This practice continues to the present day.