As they mourn the loss of a friend, mentor and colleague, faculty in Oregon State University's College of Forestry reflect on John Beuter's lasting legacy in the college, the state of Oregon and the forestry community.

"He was a wonderful guy. First of all, he was a very bright person. He was a good teacher and a very good scientist," said George Brown, emeritus professor and former dean of the College of Forestry.

Beuter, who was known as the "ultimate professor" because he loved to play devil's advocate and make peers reevaluate their convictions, taught in the college for 18 years.

Between when he arrived at OSU in 1970 and left in 1988, Beuter served as a professor, a researcher, director of the college's research forests, a department chair and associate dean.

Beuter died of progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological disorder, at his home in Corvallis on Sept. 6. He was 70 years old.

He is best known outside OSU for the 1976 landmark "Beuter Report," the first long-term look at the state's timber supply and demand.

Norm Johnson, distinguished professor of forest resources, worked on this project with Beuter for two years. They also collaborated on the 1989 follow-up report.

Johnson regards Beuter, his thesis adviser back when he was a doctoral student, as one of the greatest influences on his professional development.

"He challenged me to think critically and not accept any idea without careful consideration," Johnson said.

Beuter also had a quick wit and a good sense of humor, friends say.

"Anyone who worked with him just had a devil of a time," Johnson said.

At the time of the original Beuter Report, Oregonians were concerned about whether the state's level of timber harvesting was sustainable.

Beuter, along with Johnson and the late Lynn Scheurman, projected possible scenarios 50 and 100 years into the future, assuming different levels of harvesting.

The study examined forests by the multi-county level, and broke them down into federal, state, industrial and family-owned land categories.

Although the report suggested outcomes, it didn't tell people what to do, nor did it alienate any constituencies by coming down in favor of conservation or timber production. This neutrality, along with writing that was understandable to the generation public, was part of the reason the report became so popular, Johnson said.

"He always wanted to find the practical value of research. He wanted to work on real problems that would help the people of Oregon," according to Johnson.

Brown said he's always thought of Beuter as "the poster child for the American Dream."

Born in Chicago to immigrant parents, Beuter went on to earn a Ph.D. in forestry and economics. In addition to his contributions at OSU, he worked with the U.S. Forest Service, forestry and natural resources consulting groups and the federal government.

Hal Salwasser, dean of the College of Forestry, didn't come to OSU until after Beuter had left. However, he knew Beuter from Washington, D.C.

Beuter served as Deputy and Acting Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment in the early 1990s. During this same period, Salwasser was working in Washington as a wildlife biologist.

"John was a very objective, professional administrator. Even though he was in a politically appointed position, he always wanted to know the science. He held science and scientists in high regard and was just a pleasure to work with," Salwasser said.

Others who've worked with him echo these sentiments.

"Combining his questioning of conventional wisdom, his delightful sense of humor and his passion for life and the profession of forestry, he is irreplaceable. He was a forester through and through. He will be missed tremendously," Johnson said.

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at maryann.albright@lee.net or 758-9518.At a glance

A celebration of life for John Herman Beuter will take place Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Benton County Clubhouse in Adair Village, 6097 N.E. Ebony Lane. Directions are available online at www. valleycateringoregon. com/ about/ map.php.

Beuter requested that any donations in his memory be made to Benton County Hospice, the Oregon State University Library and the World Forestry Center.