Nebraska is home to the largest hand-planted forest in the Western Hemisphere, the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands. The Great Plains Art Museum is currently displaying an exhibition of photographs of the forest by UNL Art Professor Dana Fritz through March 11.

The forest and the photographs will be the topic of a panel discussion at the Museum on Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Fritz’s new book, “Field Guide to a Hybrid Landscape”, combines her photos with environmental essays, maps, and historical photographs that delve into the natural history of the site. It also features essays by Katie Anania, assistant professor of art history; Rebecca Buller, associate professor of practice in geography; and Rose-Marie Muzika, director of science at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, as well as maps and a timeline by Salvador Lindquist, assistant professor of landscape architecture.

The panel, featuring Fritz, Anania, Buller, Muzika and Lindquist, will be moderated by author and journalist Carson Vaughan, who covered the Bovee Fire which burned more than 18,000 acres in and around the forest in 2022.

The forest is located in the Sandhills and was established by Charles E. Bessey in 1902 as an experiment to see if forests could be established in the treeless grassland.

This event received funding support from the UNL Faculty Senate Convocations Committee and is free and open to the public. The panel will be live streamed at: https://ianrmedia.unl.edu/live-2