Obituary of Ronald Martin Lanner

Ronald Martin Lanner, 91, passed away peacefully January 6, 2022, at home, with his family by his side. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Ron developed his love of the natural world early in life on the shores of the Hudson River and in the Catskill Mountains. He earned his B.S. and M.F. degrees from the State University of New York’s College of Forestry and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He led a distinguished career at Utah State University as a professor, researcher and nature writer. Prior to joining the faculty of USU, Ron worked as a research forester for the U.S. Forest Service in California and Hawaii. He pioneered research on pinyon pine, taking his family on extended back-road adventures throughout the west and Mexico to conduct his fieldwork. His many richly-illustrated books on American trees and their role in the ecosystem display his gift for explaining complex biological systems to the lay reader. As the son of Louis and Esther, who both immigrated from eastern Europe to the U.S. to escape persecution, Ron fought hard to remove bigotry and prejudices of all kinds. His thoughtful and carefully-worded letters to the editor of local newspapers over the decades sought to raise the consciousness of its readers. He lived his final years in Placerville, California, on two acres of beloved forest in the Sierra Nevada foothills. He was preceded in death by his wife, Harriette, and brother, Allen. Ron is survived by daughter, Devorah, son, David, and daughter-in-law, Aline; sister, Charlotte; sister-in-law, Joyce; nieces Marilyn and Lynn; and extended family.