Paul M. Dunn served as Dean of Forestry at Oregon State College from 1942 until 1955, when he joined the St. Regis Paper Company. Dunn was instrumental in obtaining the 6200-acre Adair Tract for teaching and research and it was subsequently named the Paul M. Dunn Research Forest in his honor. In 1952-53, Dunn assisted in establishing a school of forest engineering at the University of Chile.
