Paul Harmon Beck

Paul Harmon Beck passed on Saturday, January 10 due to complications from cancer. Paul was a people person and a family person. Family was especially important to Paul, and he always put his family first. He made many close friends throughout his life and his career in the timber industry. Paul was well known for his storied career in the industry, as well as his advocacy and volunteer work around public forest management. 

Paul was born in Eugene, Oregon on May 18, 1955 to Ira Alan Beck and Margaret Ann Rhoads. He graduated from Central Point High School in 1973. Paul and Mariah Beck met when working as cooks together, and were married on March 18, 1978. They spent 50 wonderful years together sharing love, laughter, and the joy of raising their family.

Paul followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather to begin his career as a log scaler with the Southern Oregon Log Scaling and Grading Bureau. He then began work in timber cruising and log procurement. In 1992 Paul and Mariah moved to Roseburg, where Paul continued to work for the timber industry and Mariah taught math at Umpqua Community College.

Paul spent 20 years working at Herbert Lumber procuring logs as their Timber Manager. Paul considered the Herberts to be family, and he was grateful to Milt and Lynn Herbert for supporting his advocacy and volunteer work.

Paul had grown up in a family of scalers and described himself as “the son of a son of a scaler.”  He returned to his scaling roots in 2012 to become the CEO of Mountain Western Log Scaling and Grading Bureau. Paul retired in 2021 but continued to work in the timber industry through his consulting firm, Blue Card Forestry Services. 

Paul was a true environmentalist. He loved working in the timber industry because he knew that wood is the ultimate sustainable building material, and he understood that trees can be harvested in a way that benefits forests as well as local communities. This passion was reflected in his tireless advocacy and volunteer work.

Paul contributed 30 years of service to both the Douglas Timber Operators and the American Forest Resources Council, serving on their boards and in leadership positions.  He also served in leadership roles with the Douglas County Fair Board, Federal Timber Purchasers Committee, Douglas County Forest Council, Forest Service Cubic Scaling Committee, Northwest Log Rules Advisory Group, Tree Measurement Society, Secure Rural Schools Resources Advisory Committee, and Forest Bridges. He frequently traveled to D.C. to testify before Congress on public lands policy issues and made friends and allies on both sides of the isle.

One of Paul’s greatest passions was his work and leadership with the Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby (UFED). Thousands of school children have benefited from UFED’s education programs, and UFED has now awarded more than two million dollars to stream and habitat restoration projects and education programs in the Umpqua River Basin. 

In his retirement Paul volunteered his time as a member of the Elliott State Research Forest Advisory Committee, passionately advocating for a proactive approach to forest management that would benefit the forest ecosystem while also supporting the economy and culture of the surrounding community.

Paul loved cooking, camping, travelling, sailing his 27-foot Catalina sailboat, and spending time with his family and grandsons. Paul and Mariah retired to Bend in 2024, but they remained actively involved in the community of Roseburg and the surrounding area.

Paul was always an optimist, and his optimism was infectious. He was generous with his knowledge and eager to help people get established in their careers and in their lives. He loved to collect, trade, and tell stories and made friends wherever he went. Most of his stories were, to varying extents, based on elements of real-life events. All of his stories were good for a laugh. Paul had stories about everyone he knew, and everyone who knew Paul has a story about Paul. We can honor Paul’s memory by spending time with friends and family and sharing a few good stories.

Paul is survived by brothers Jon Beck and Dave Beck, wife Mariah Ann (Thomas) Beck, children Colin Thomas Beck and Kelsi Erin Beck, their partners Julie Brecke and Joshua McElhinney, grandsons Riley Alan Ponzini-Beck and Bode Aber McElhinney, and step-grandson Dax Johnson. A celebration of his life will be planned for this spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby for the Paul H. Beck Youth Education Fund (mail to Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby; 3000 NW Stewart Parkway, Suite 104; Roseburg, OR 97471).

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