Bill Hagenstein

Bill is passionate about forestry and forest management and has been for over 70 years.

"Live without wood or wood fiber in your life for a year and then come talk to me. Talk is cheap. Life isn't."

"I believe, as a country and as a people, we value the God-given and now man-given timber that stretches from sea to shining sea."

"Part of my job was to encourage the discouraged, show the leaders how to lead."

"According to the National Academy of Science's CORRIM report, it takes nine times more energy to produce a steel stud than a wood Stud."

"Ruth helped me to see that a rich life wasn't in the accumulation of wealth, but in the pleasure of doing meaningful work."

The Colonel would allow me six "goddamns" per hour. After that I had to put in twenty-five cents to the employee welfare fund every time I uttered another word."

"It may sound hollow today, but I still believe in the Golden Rule. My mother taught me that and I admire her for it."

"More than one billion board feet of timber died annually in Oregon's national forests from old-age, disease, insects, wind, or fire."

"We don't cut trees for the fun of it. We cut them because people want to build and live with wood... wood furniture, floors, windows, walls."

"To harvest Doug-fir, we clearcut it, because if you want to reproduce it, you have to give it sunshine. Lots of sunshine.
It makes me wonder if clearcutting isn't more of a political issue than a biological one."

Corks & Suspenders
Memoir of an Early Forester
by William D. Hagenstein

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William David Hagenstein's biography.

Forester, Consultant

Registered professional engineer, Washington, Oregon.
Born: Seattle, March 8, 1915; Father, Charles William; and Mother, Janet (Finigan) H.; Wife, Ruth Helen Johnson, married Sept. 2, 1940 (deceased 1979); married Jean Kraemer Edson, June 16, 1980 (deceased 2000).

BS in Forestry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 1938; Master’s Degree, Forestry, Duke University, Durham, NC, 1941.

Served with USNR, 1933-1937; Field aid in entomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hat Creek, California, 1938; logging superintendent and engineer, Eagle Logging Co., Sedro-Woolley, WA, 1939; tech. foreman, U.S. Forest Service, North Bend, WA, 1940; forester, West Coast Lumbermen’s Assn., Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, 1941-1943, 1945-1949; senior forester, FEA, South and Central Pacific Theaters of War and Costa Rica, 1943-1945; consulting forest engineer, U.S. Navy, Philippines, 1952; manager, Industrial Forestry Assn., Portland, OR, 1949-80, executive vice president, 1956-1980, honorary director, 1980-1987; president, W.D. Hagenstein and Assocs., Inc., Portland, OR, 1980-2008.

H.R. MacMillan lecturer forestry, University of British Columbia, 1952 and 1977; Benson Memorial lecturer, University of Missouri, 1966; S.J. Hall lecturer on industrial forestry, University of California at Berkeley, 1973.

Member, U.S. Forest Products Trade Mission, Japan, 1968; delegate, VII World Forestry Congress, Argentina, 1972 and VIII World Forestry Congress, Indonesia, 1978; member, U.S. Forestry Study Team, West Germany, 1974; member, Secretary of the Interior’s Oregon And California Multiple Use Advisory Board, 1975-1976.

Society of American Foresters, Fellow;  Council member, 1958-1963; president, 1966-1969; Outstanding Service, 1987; Golden Membership award, 1989.
Annual Communicator Award named after W.D. Hagenstein beginning 2008.

Member, American Forestry Association (life), honorary vice president, 1966-1969, 1974-1992.
Trustee, Washington State Forestry Conference, 1948-1992, vice president, 1970-1971; president, 1972-1973.

Advisory trustee, Keep Washington Green Association, 1957-1995.

Co-founder World Forestry Center, director, 1965-1989; vice president, 1965-1979; honorary director for life, 1990; and honored in 2000 as the only surviving co-founder.

Keep Oregon Green Association, 1957; vice president, 1970-1971; president, 1972-1973.

Trustee, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, 1968-1973.

Portland Chamber of Commerce, forestry committee, 1949-1979; chairman, 1960-1962.

National Forest Products Assn., forestry advisory committee, 1949-1980; chairman, 1972-1974, 1978-1980.

West Coast Lumbermen’s Assn., vice president, 1969-1979.

Forest History Society, board of directors, 2001-2004.

Member, U.S. Forest Products Trade Mission, Japan, 1968.

Delegate, VII World Forestry Congress, Argentina, 1972.

Delegate, VIII World Forestry Congress, Indonesia, 1978.

Member, U.S. Forestry Study Team, West Germany, 1974.

Member, Secretary of the Interior’s Oregon and California Multiple Use Advisory Board, 1975-1976.

Commonwealth Forestry Assn. (life member).

International Society of Tropical Foresters.

David Douglas Society of Western North America.

Lang Syne Society.

Hoo Hoo Club.

Xi Sigma Pi, outstanding alumnus Alpha Chapter.

Author: (with Wackerman and Michell) Harvesting Timber Crops, 1966; Associate editor, Journal of Forestry, 1946-53; columnist, Wood Review, 1978-82; contributed numerous articles to professional journals.

Recipient, Honorary Alumnus award, University of Washington Foresters Alumni Association, 1965, Distinguished Service award, 2003; Forest Management award, National Forest Products Assn., 1968; Western Forestry award, Western Forestry and Conservation Assn.,
1972 and 79; Gifford Pinchot medal for 50 yrs. Outstanding Service, Society of American Foresters, 1987; William B. Greeley Forestry award, 1990; Charles W. Ralston award, Duke School of Forestry, 1988; Lifetime Achievement award, Oregon Society of American Foresters, 1995; Centennial Resource Stewardship award, U.S. Forest Service, 2005; named Lumberman of the Year, Portland Wholesale Lumber Assn., 2005.

Bill was a regional leader in times of crisis. As Chairman of the Timber Disaster Committee of the Northwest Forest Pest Action Council, he led the salvage efforts to clean up after the devastating Columbus Day Storm of 1962 that blew down 17 billion board feet of timber in five hours.

(adapted and updated from Who’s Who in America, 64th Edition, 2010)

 

Corks & Suspenders by William D. Hagenstein © 2010 • Available through GLTC/Book.
For other ordering information: 541-345-2301 • PO Box 989 • Eugene, OR 97440
© 2010 All photos by Mike McMurray • site by MEI Productions