Rachel Kline

Women have been vital to the growth of American forestry since its beginnings —serving as advocates, clerks, librarians, educators, scientists, lookouts, and foresters, often from outside the formal structures that excluded them. This session reflects on women’s enduring legacy across the profession. From the earliest conservation educators and forest scientists to the generations who followed in research, policy, and fieldwork, women have continually shaped forestry into a multidisciplinary field. Their contributions extended beyond research and administration—they fostered a land ethic long before Leopold and helped root forests in the American imagination. This session traces their overlooked stories and examines how their work continues to influence forestry and natural resource management today.

Speaker Biography

Rachel Kline –  Principal Cultural Resources Team Lead, SWCA Environmental Consultants

Rachel D. Kline is a public historian of women, the environment, and public lands. She holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of New Hampshire and an M.A. in Public History from Colorado State University. Kline has authored numerous scholarly articles, public history reports, and community histories, including a history of Windsor, Colorado. She is a contributing author to Our Forests, Our Future: Honoring the Past, Engaging the Present, and Leading to the Future, the 125th anniversary volume for the Society of American Foresters, and co-author of the forthcoming The Yale School of the Environment: The First 125 Years. She is the 2024 recipient of the National Archives Foundation Cokie Roberts Fellowship, supporting research for her forthcoming book We Feminine Foresters: Women and the USDA Forest Service. Kline spent 16 years as a Forest Service historian, leading projects that documented agency heritage and established a national history program. She now serves as a Principal Cultural Resources Team Lead at SWCA Environmental Consultants, where she continues to connect history with present-day conservation work. She is also enrolled in the Yale School of the Environment’s Urban Climate Leadership program, where she is focusing on integrating climate solutions with historic preservation.