Stimson Lumber Company
American forest products and lumber company
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Stimson Lumber Company is an American forest products company headquartered in Portland, Oregon, engaged in timber harvesting, processing, and sales, offering lumber, plywood, wood chips, etc. The company owns large forestlands and emphasizes sustainable forestry.
History
Stimson Lumber Company’s corporate history begins with a longer family connection to the North American timber industry. Thomas Douglas Stimson began logging in Michigan in 1850. During the 1880s, members of the Stimson family moved west to the Pacific Northwest, where they acquired timberlands and developed mills and related businesses around Puget Sound. The family’s regional interests eventually extended into Oregon, where Charles S. Stimson recruited his son-in-law Harold A. Miller to oversee the Oregon business. The Oregon company was incorporated in Hillsboro on May 9, 1931. Its founders were G. W. Stimson, attorney Thomas H. Tongue Jr., and Harold A. Miller. Miller had broader connections to Oregon’s forestry and civic institutions: he was associated with the founding of the Western Forestry Center in Portland and had also owned the schooner Te Vega. The company established a mill in Forest Grove in 1933, two years after incorporation. That facility became a durable part of Stimson’s manufacturing footprint. Stimson expanded beyond basic timber production during the postwar industrial period. In 1962, it acquired Northwest Petrochemical Company, a transaction connected to the company’s need for phenol in hardboard manufacturing. The move reflected an effort to secure or integrate an important input for a wood-panel product. In 1976, Stimson purchased a plywood plant in Merlin, Oregon, adding another major category of processed wood products to its operations. Miller remained a central figure in the business until his death in 1981. Darrell Schroeder then became the company’s executive leader. The supplied historical account does not identify later chief executives or provide a detailed chronology of subsequent acquisitions, divestments, or ownership changes. It does, however, describe a company that continued to operate across Oregon and Idaho while maintaining timberland in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The company’s history also includes several public-facing land and community activities. In 1987, Stimson donated the log used to create the Chief Kno-Tah sculpture in Shute Park, Hillsboro. In 2008, it sold a Chehalem Mountains property to Metro. That property subsequently became Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, turning former company land into a public natural area. Stimson has also participated in Portland’s seasonal civic traditions by donating the Christmas tree for Pioneer Courthouse Square, including in 2021 and 2022. By the period covered by the reference material, Stimson operated seven mills in Oregon and Idaho and controlled approximately 552,000 acres of timberland in three states. Its operations therefore combined forest ownership, timber management, and manufacturing of lumber, hardboard, plywood, and related forest products. The company’s industrial activities have also brought regulatory obligations. In 2020, the Gaston mill was fined for air pollution, making environmental compliance a notable part of the company’s recent public record. Current financial results, ownership structure, and senior management are not specified in the available material.
- 2020
Gaston mill receives air-pollution fine
[1]Stimson’s Gaston mill was fined for air-pollution violations.
- 2008
Chehalem Mountains property sold to Metro
[1]The company sold property in the Chehalem Mountains to Metro; the land later became Chehalem Ridge Nature Park.
- 1987
Log donated for Chief Kno-Tah sculpture
[1]Stimson donated the log used to create the Chief Kno-Tah sculpture in Hillsboro’s Shute Park.
- 1981
Leadership passes to Darrell Schroeder
[1]Following Harold A. Miller’s death, Darrell Schroeder became the company’s executive leader.
- 1976
Merlin plywood plant acquired
[1]The company expanded its panel-products manufacturing through the purchase of a plywood plant in Merlin, Oregon.
- 1962
Northwest Petrochemical Company acquired
[1]Stimson purchased Northwest Petrochemical Company in connection with phenol supplies for hardboard manufacturing.
- 1933
Forest Grove mill opens
[1]The company opened a new mill in Forest Grove two years after incorporation.
- 1931
Stimson Lumber Company is incorporated
[1]G. W. Stimson, Thomas H. Tongue Jr., and Harold A. Miller incorporated the company in Hillsboro, Oregon, on May 9.
- 1880
The Stimson family expands into the Pacific Northwest
[1]During the 1880s, the family moved west and developed timberland, mills, and related businesses around Puget Sound.
- 1850
Thomas Douglas Stimson begins logging in Michigan
[1]The family history later associated with Stimson Lumber is traced to Thomas Douglas Stimson’s logging activities in Michigan.
Products and positioning
A privately operated, vertically oriented Pacific Northwest forest-products company combining large-scale timberland ownership with regional wood-product manufacturing.
Sawn wood
Lumber
Lumber is a core output associated with Stimson’s sawmill network and timberland base. The company’s operations in Oregon and Idaho connect forest-resource management with the processing of logs into dimensional and other sawn-wood products. Specific grades, species, product specifications, and branded product lines are not identified in the supplied reference material.
Wood panels · 1962
Hardboard
Stimson entered or supported hardboard manufacturing through its 1962 acquisition of Northwest Petrochemical Company. The acquisition was associated with obtaining phenol used in the manufacturing process. The available material does not provide individual hardboard brands, specifications, or current production details.
Wood panels · 1976
Plywood
Plywood became part of Stimson’s manufacturing activities through the 1976 purchase of a plant in Merlin, Oregon. This represented a broader panel-products presence alongside lumber and hardboard. Current product grades, markets, and plant status are not detailed in the supplied source.
Forest resources
Timberland and logs
The company owns approximately 552,000 acres of timberland across Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. These forest resources support timber management and the supply of logs to its regional manufacturing operations. The available reference does not specify management certifications, annual harvest volumes, or individual timberland brands.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Pioneer Courthouse Square Christmas tree donation
Portland, Oregon
The company again supplied the Christmas tree for Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Outcome. Stimson continued its documented role as a donor to Portland’s seasonal civic display.
- 2021Pioneer Courthouse Square Christmas tree donation
Portland, Oregon
Stimson donated the Christmas tree displayed at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland.
Outcome. The donated tree served as Portland’s public holiday centerpiece for the season.
- 2008Chehalem Ridge land transfer
Oregon
Stimson sold a property in the Chehalem Mountains to Metro for eventual public conservation and recreation use.
Outcome. The property later became Chehalem Ridge Nature Park.
- 1987Chief Kno-Tah sculpture log donation
Hillsboro, Oregon
Stimson donated the log used to create the Chief Kno-Tah sculpture installed in Shute Park.
Outcome. The donated material was used in a permanent civic sculpture in Hillsboro.
Brand decisions
2008
Sale of Chehalem Mountains property for public conservation useStrategyBackground
Stimson held property in the Chehalem Mountains that was later incorporated into a public natural area.
Action taken
The company sold the property to Metro.
Aftermath
The land was later developed as Chehalem Ridge Nature Park.
1976
Acquisition of Merlin plywood plantM&ABackground
The company continued expanding its processed wood-products manufacturing capacity.
Action taken
Stimson purchased a plywood plant in Merlin, Oregon.
Aftermath
The purchase added plywood production to the company’s portfolio of forest-product activities.
1962
Acquisition of Northwest Petrochemical CompanyM&ABackground
Stimson needed phenol associated with its hardboard manufacturing activities.
Action taken
The company acquired Northwest Petrochemical Company.
Aftermath
The acquisition supported Stimson’s hardboard manufacturing supply chain, although the available source does not describe the transaction’s financial terms or long-term corporate structure.
Recent events
- 2022
Stimson again supplies Pioneer Courthouse Square Christmas tree[1]
Campaign · Other
The company was again identified as the donor of Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square Christmas tree.
- 2021
Stimson donates Portland Pioneer Courthouse Square Christmas tree[1]
Campaign · Other
Stimson donated the Christmas tree displayed at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland.
Sources2 sources
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