Correspondence, field notes, writings,photographs and other subject files of Henry J. Oosting, Professor of Botany and Chairman of the Department of Botany at Duke University from 1931 to 1962. Major subjects include the ecology of virgin forests, vegetation on bare rocks, maritime vegetation in the Southeastern United States, North Carolina vegetation, the 1937 Louise A. Boyd expedition to Greenland with the American Geographical Society, the Victory Garden project in Durham, N.C., the Ecological Society of America, and the serial Ecological Monographs.

The papers include correspondence, field notes, and other research notes of Henry J. Oosting. The collection is representative of Oosting's research in forest ecology, vegetation on bare rocks, and plants of North Carolina. The papers also document his participation in the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland, his participation in the governance and research of the Highlands Biological Station (Highlands, N.C.), and his participation in the Ecological Society of America. Much of the correspondence is between Oosting and colleagues at Duke University, including H. L. Blomquist and Lewis R. Anderson; colleagues throughout the United States; and former graduate students. Other files include family correspondence, as well as reports and correspondence from the Duke University Research Council, 1949-1963.

In June 2007, accession UA2007-0019 was added to the collection. This accession includes photographs from the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland. Subjects featured are glaciers; Kjerulf Fjord; Tromso, Norway; Jan Mayen Island; Cape Alfred; Clavering Isle; landscape; and native plants. In addition to the individual photos there are also six annotated photo posters. Photos are by Louise A. Boyd. Also included is Oosting's diary. The diary includes his reactions and observations about his travel to Eastern Greenland and return through England during the summer of 1937 on the Louise A. Boyd Expedition.

Nitrate negatives have been scanned and are available online. The original nitrate negatives are not available for use in the reading room.