Adair Tract

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Had that changed since you took over from Mason and Peavy? Was there a change in emphasis?

Paul M. Dunn: Yes. However, when I came it was at the time the Forest Products Research Program was being initiated, so there were greater efforts made in the area of research due to the availability of some of the staff. That situation did not occur prior to 1941.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Do you think the emphasis is any different today?

Paul M. Dunn: Basically no, except the results are associated with the availability of funds. Over the years there has been an increase, let's say demand, for more research and increased appropriations. As a result, the research program has increased considerably over what it was during the early forties. Part of the increased income I referred to was due to the passage of the Severance Tax, a timber harvest tax - that started out, I believe, at $0.05 per thousand feet, and has increased since. That money was directed to forest research, both forest products and forest management research; also a portion went to fire control. That money was sizable because during the war and subsequently there was quite a bit of activity in the forest industry, and the volume of logs harvested climbed over a period of years, and the emphasis on forest research increased due to the income from the timber harvest tax. That created considerable change, but did not divert any effort from the regular teaching of students. It was associated with it. The two programs worked in close cooperation, and proved to be satisfactory. The overall program is considerably greater now than it was at that time because of the increase in enrollment and in the staff at the school.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: What did you have in mind when you started negotiations for the Adair Tract?

Paul M. Dunn: During previous years, I had continued with the acquisition policy that was developed by Dean Peavy. There was money available so that was a normal part of the school program in rounding out the total acreage that was at that time the McDonald Forest. My objective, in regard to obtaining the Adair Tract for the benefit of the School of Forestry, was basically one of adding to the total acreage which would provide additional demonstration areas for the use of the students of the School. I could foresee the possibilities with the full development of the Adair Tract, to expand the program that earlier was planned for the School - forest demonstration and

Paul M. Dunn: instructional areas. It was evident that if the school could obtain that area there would be potential benefits because of the timber area - timber volumes on the tract.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Who else was supportive of your decision to try to get this tract?

Paul M. Dunn: This program, of course, was discussed with the other staff members in the School, and it was eventually discussed with President Strand and also the people in agriculture, because it was essential that the program be supported by both schools since there was agricultural land involved.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: What personalities were involved, for example, in agriculture?

Paul M. Dunn: The Dean of the School of Agriculture was Dean William Schoenfelt, who was also the head of the Dairy Department. And, of course, Dr. Strand was involved.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: How was this tract brought to your attention in the first place that you might have this opportunity to add it to the other land?

Paul M. Dunn: Following the end of the war, it was shortly known that Camp Adair would be declared surplus by the Federal Government and abandoned as it was. The next step would be the disposal of the property, about 90,000 acres. It was not certain what the procedure would be. There was some thought that the previous owners would be privileged to buy it back or it would be put up for auction. But, over a period of years, many of the previous owners had moved away. So it was soon evident that they would not be an active group. In time, it was learned that educational institutions might have a position of high priority in making a request for the property. When the overall program, as set forth by the War Assets Department, was known, I took steps to put in a request for it. If public institutions could provide a sound program for the use of the land, it was evident that they would be considered seriously. That was my plan. I eventually got the qualified support of the University people in agriculture and President Strand. Then I elicited the support of Senator Guy Corden, who was a U.S. Senator from Oregon at that time. He was most helpful.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: You mentioned last time that President Strand had questioned your judgment in acquiring the Adair Tract. Why was that?

Paul M. Dunn: One thing that he questioned was whether we needed it. And second that there would be an expense, a budgetary expense, and he was wondering where the money was

Paul M. Dunn: going to come from to administer the property. Those were his very sensible, legitimate queries as to why we needed the area.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: So how did you convince him that you did need it?

Paul M. Dunn: Dean Peavy, in his program of land acquisition had indicated that about six thousand acres would be sufficient for the long-term needs of the School. During the middle forties, we had reached that acreage, and actually the Adair Tract would be in excess of this previously stated acreage. Dr. Strand's questions were proper. With information as to the amount of timber on the Adair Tract, and the expanded program not only in teaching, but in forestry demonstrations and research, that would be possible, as a result of getting the added acreage, and particularly with the program of selling some of the timber, we were able to convince him on that point.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: Was Peavy involved in this decision at all?

Paul M. Dunn: No. He knew of it but he was not involved. He certainly supported the idea.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: I know that T. J. Starker had been involved in acquiring some of the McDonald Forest lands. What part did he play in acquiring the Adair Tract?

Paul M. Dunn: He was an interested bystander, you might say. He was in favor of it, but he was not involved. In fact, he would have liked to have acquired the tract himself, but it was not possible because in the disposition of the property there was no possibility for outright sale of any of the land to an outside party. In the order of disposal, there were the educational institutions and veterans, World War veterans. In the main, I believe, the entire Tract was disposed of by those two avenues. I know of a good many veterans who acquired quite a bit of the Adair Tract. There were no other educational institutions involved other than Oregon State. Of course, that took only about four or five thousand acres total. The bulk of the other land had been agricultural land and was sold or rather disposed of for that purpose; the veterans who acquired portions of Adair used their property for agricultural purposes.

Royal Jackson / Jennifer Lee: What kind of management of the forests was there when you were Dean from 1942 to 1955?

Paul M. Dunn: At the outset, there was very little. The management program was at a minimum, because it was used as a laboratory for instructional purposes. The professors would outline their classroom programs in keeping with their class needs, so the management program was really a stewardship type of program for the purposes as