At the time of his death, he was the Chief Dendrologist of the United States Forest Service.

Born in Kingston, Wisconsin, Sudworth graduated from the University of Michigan in 1885.

[3] During his life, Sudworth published several books, but his most famous is A Check List of the Forest Trees of the United States.

[4][5] Other works include "The Pine Trees of the Rocky Mountain Region" which was illustrated by Annie E.

Sudworth was a founder of the Society of American Foresters, and was also a member of the Washington Academy of Sciences, the Biological and Botanical Societies of Washington, and an honorary member of the Finnish forestry association, Finska Forstsamfundet.