It started as a vision for teaching and research. A link between a real forest and the classroom.  Founded one hundred years ago in 1926, today we know it as McDonald Forest, and it has grown in both size and purpose.

Indeed, most of us experience it as an urban park, and one could argue Oregon State University’s College of Forestry, who oversees the forest, does a better job maintaining trails and trailheads than many municipalities may, including our local ones.

But, of course, Mac Forest is still very much dedicated to teaching and research and there can be conflicts between those uses and the demands of recreationists. Seeing a favorite stand of trailside trees decimated by a clearcut – not lovely.

There have also been criticisms that the College of Forestry has not taken appropriate care to safeguard old growth from falling under the weight of the proverbial, and very real, chainsaw. In this regard, the College has had some failures, and they have at times issued apologies.

But equally, when pressed, OSU leadership will remind folks that while they are a public university, the forest is not public land. That it is university land, and first and foremost, a research forest.

Legally, the university could close the forest to public use, and it is arguable that maybe they should not have that right. Early in the pandemic, responsive to state mandates, the university did close the forest for a short time. But otherwise, it should be said nobody at the College has seriously alluded to closing Mac Forest to public use.

Likewise, one could also argue the College’s logging plans should potentially have some external governmental oversight, but nobody is discussing that either. And then, that is not what this story is about. We’ll leave the controversies aside for the moment.

For us at The Advocate, Mac Forest is central to Corvallis’ identity. It is where we hike and bike and run. We have been known to conduct our editorial and business meetings in the forest because, well, screw the indoors. We go there for inspiration and ideas and equally to empty our minds and simply enjoy. In all of this, we hardly think we’re alone around here.

We, like so many, love Mac Forest. And like most loves, we’ve been curious about the backstory. And for that there is a newly released history from the College of Forestry, and, well, here it is.

Early 1920s: A Vision for a Living Laboratory

That original vision we talked about came from College of Forestry Dean George Peavy in the early 1920s. Then, in 1924, the Board of Regents of Oregon State Agricultural College, now Oregon State University, appropriated funds to purchase 80 acres north of Corvallis, establishing Peavy Arboretum as a hub for education and field work.

Prior to this, forestry classes often traveled long distances for field experiences. Peavy’s idea was, like we said, to create a forest environment that supported hands-on forestry instruction and community connection to the land. 

1926: The Beginnings of the McDonald Forest

After Peavy Arboretum was established, Dean George Peavy and alumnus and Professor T.J. Starker led efforts to expand the college’s forest holdings, formally establishing what would become the McDonald Research Forest in 1926.

The expansion was made possible thanks in large part to the generosity of Mary McDonald, a businesswoman who began donating land and funds in 1927 so the college could acquire forestland for research and instruction. McDonald had no children of her own and wanted her gifts to help the youth of the future learn more about natural resources, agriculture and forestry. Her contributions helped build the foundation of the McDonald Forest and set the stage for a century of stewardship as an actively managed research and demonstration forest, supporting generations of students and researchers.

1928: Long-Term Research Takes Root: The Pole Farm

As early research took hold on the McDonald Forest, the Pole Farm was established in 1928 — one of the earliest studies on the forest and the oldest continuing research project on OSU’s research forests. The site was created to study wood preservation and durability, particularly for utility poles.

Today, the Pole Farm still serves as a testing site for the College of Forestry’s Utility Pole Research Cooperative, where OSU researchers work with industry partners to test wood preservatives for effectiveness, longevity and environmental impact. Nearly a century later, the site remains an active example of long-term, applied research that helps inform wood product practices across the country.

1933-1942: Civilian Conservation Corps at Peavy Arboretum

During the Great Depression, the federal government established Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Arboretum at Peavy Arboretum as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. From 1933 to 1942, CCC crews helped shape the early forest by building roads and trails, expanding nursery operations, constructing Cronemiller Lake and supporting reforestation and fire prevention efforts.

One of the few remaining structures from this era is the sign shop — the former CCC barn located near the main forest entrance. Today, it stands as a visible reminder of the CCC’s lasting impact on the McDonald Forest and its role in supporting education, research and public access.

1941: State Designates OSU as a Center for Forest Research

The Oregon Legislature began directing funding to Oregon State College, now OSU, to serve as the state’s center for applied forest research in 1941. That role was later formalized in state law with the establishment of Oregon’s Forest Research Laboratory at OSU, housed within the College of Forestry.

These legislative actions elevated the role of the McDonald Forest as a living laboratory to support applied research, education and demonstration that inform sustainable forest management and forest products innovation across Oregon and beyond.

Today, research and educational activities conducted on the forest continue to support knowledge and best practices in timber production, ecology, watersheds, wildlife habitat and multiple other forest values, reflecting an enduring commitment to managing forests as dynamic systems that balance environmental, economic and social outcomes.

1940s–1950s: Postwar Growth and Strategic Expansion

In the years following World War II, the College of Forestry grew rapidly as veterans returned to campus through the G.I. Bill and the profession began to evolve. The college graduated its first female student in 1945, reflecting a gradual broadening of forestry education.

In 1947, then-Dean Paul Dunn advocated for the acquisition of more than 6,200 acres of forestland adjacent to the McDonald Forest — land that would become the Dunn Forest — despite opposition from university leadership and within the college. Critics questioned the value of taking on land that had been used for military training at Camp Adair and carried both costs and constraints.

Dunn saw what others did not: that long-term, science-based forestry depends on scale, continuity and a range of forest conditions that enable research over time. The transfer of the property from the War Assets Administration required that it be used as a “teaching laboratory” to conduct useful research related to natural resources, with timber harvests permitted under sound forestry practices to support that work. That mandate aligned seamlessly with the McDonald Forest’s purpose and laid the foundation for their eventual management as a single, integrated research forest.

1960s–1970s: Changing Perspectives on Forest Science, Policy and Stewardship

By the 1960s and 1970s, advances in forest science and growing public concern for environmental quality were reshaping how forests were managed across the United States. Landmark policies, including the Endangered Species Act, reflected a broader understanding of forests as complex systems that support wildlife, clean water and resilient landscapes.

These shifts influenced management of the McDonald and Dunn Forests as well, reinforcing an approach to stewardship that emphasized multiple forest values, including timber production. The expanded, contiguous forestlands secured in earlier decades made it possible to study these different values at scale, demonstrating that conservation and active forest management can — and do — work together.

1980s-1990s: An Era of Rapidly Expanding Public Use

During the 1980s and 1990s, Oregon State University began managing the McDonald and Dunn forests together as a single, contiguous research forest, reflecting a growing emphasis on landscape-scale stewardship and long-term research.

This period also coincided with broader societal shifts that increased public interest in outdoor recreation nationwide, including at the McDonald-Dunn. Recreational use of the forest expanded rapidly — from an estimated 7,500 annual visits in 1980 to more than 65,000 by the mid-1990s — bringing new opportunities as well as management challenges.

In response, College of Forestry developed the first comprehensive forest plan in 1993. The plan recognized the forest’s evolving role as both a working research forest and an increasingly valued outdoor recreation hub, and it established a framework to better balance research, teaching, forest management and access.

2000s: Managing Growing Demands

By the early 2000s, the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest was supporting an expanding and increasingly complex set of demands. Student enrollment continued to grow, research priorities broadened to address issues such as forest resilience and climate change, and annual recreational visits exceeded 200,000.

In 2005, the College of Forestry adopted a new forest management plan that established a more detailed framework for balancing multiple objectives. The plan reaffirmed the forest’s role as a working research and demonstration forest while emphasizing outcome-based management across research, teaching, timber production and recreation.

A few years later, the Great Recession triggered an unprecedented downturn in housing and lumber markets and the unprecedented economic shock exposed limitations in the 2005 plan’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing financial conditions, particularly given the costs associated with some management approaches and reduced staffing levels. In 2009, the plan was suspended to ensure the long-term viability of the forest.

2010s: Stewardship Amid Uncertainty

Following the suspension of the 2005 plan, the McDonald-Dunn Forest was managed through annual plans of work, guided by professional forestry standards and focused on sustaining research, teaching and financial stability during a prolonged period of economic uncertainty and gradual recovery in housing and timber markets following the Great Recession.

During this time, the College of Forestry was also evolving — expanding its work in areas such as mass timber, advanced forestry and interdisciplinary research, while investing in facilities and expertise to support the future of the profession.

In 2019, as part of a planned regeneration harvest with structural retention on the McDonald Forest, a collection of very old Douglas-fir trees were felled. The harvest prompted both internal and public concern and heightened interest in the management of the forest. To provide clearer guidance and transparency, the 2005 Forest Plan was temporarily reinstated until a new plan could be developed.

2020–Present: And what is Next

In 2020, the College of Forestry launched what it views as a collaborative process to develop a new forest management plan for the McDonald-Dunn Forest, recognizing both the changes that had occurred over the past two decades and the forest’s enduring purpose.

Their goal was to ensure the forest continues to support research, teaching and outreach that generate science-based solutions to the challenges facing forests and society, even as policies, expectations and environmental conditions evolve while providing a recreational access for the surrounding communities.

After a three-year process involving faculty, students, Tribal partners, community members, recreational users and other stakeholders — with what the College views as multiple opportunities for public input — the 2025 Forest Management Plan was finalized in December 2025 for implementation beginning in January 2026.

As the College sees it, the updated plan reaffirms the McDonald-Dunn Forest’s original vision as a working research and learning laboratory, established through donor generosity to support education in forestry and natural resources practices.

They believe it provides a clear, long-term framework for stewardship that supports research, hands-on learning, ecological resilience, sustainable wood products and public access. They hope, that together, these plans ensure the McDonald-Dunn Forest remains a dynamic, working landscape — grounded in its founding purpose and positioned to help shape the future of forestry for the next century and beyond.

Not everyone views the Forest Management Plan process or outcome favorably. But like we’ve already alluded, this story isn’t about the controversies, it’s about the backstory for what some of us view as Corvallis’ most treasured asset.

For more information about trails and occasional access road and trail closures, you can visit the College of Forestry website, here.

Two Celebrations in April

April 2: PRAx and the College of Forestry Present: Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble
7 p.m. in Detrick Hall
From Maxville to Vanport: A Celebration of Oregon’s Black History
This music-and-film performance adds cultural perspective to the centennial, honoring the communities and individuals — including Black Oregonians — who shaped Oregon’s forestry history.

April 29: Roots Run 5K for Dam Proud Day
Forestry Club Cabin, McDonald Forest
Open to all, this fun run/walk/stroll led by the College of Forestry Student Ambassadors supports Dam Proud Day fundraising efforts. Registration for the Roots Run 5K will open in March 2026.

An Historian Talks About Mac Forest

Historian Bill Robbins as traces the story of Peavy Arboretum and the McDonald Forest from their pre-OSU land uses to their roles today as living laboratories for research, teaching and community engagement. Drawing on archival history and long-term ecological perspectives, Robbins highlights how early management, evolving scientific priorities and shifting public values have shaped these dynamic forests — and why they remain essential to understanding and stewarding our regional landscapes.

 

By Hallie Greenberg