Timber Wars

"An old tree, this research revealed, isn’t just a bigger version of a young tree, any more than an old person is just a bigger kid. Like any elder, a venerable old tree’s characteristics show its life story. The attributes and gifts of old trees, in the communities they create and sustain, are fully attained only at great age." (Mapes, L. 2021)

 ^{Multicultural Perspectives and Stakeholders} 

 ^{Perspective 1: Loggers and Milling Companies} 

Lumberjacks first hit the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s. Things slowed down rather quickly because the trees they were coming across were not your average trees. They were Douglas Firs and Coastal Redwoods. These trees towered more than 300 feet in the air.

Then once World War II occurred, the timber race started ramping up. Veterans returning from war. Starting families and building towns and homes. With a booming economy comes a need for a lot of wood. By the mid-80s timber became the highest-value crop in the united states. “So it’s no surprise that timber was king here. It provided local companies with monster profits and they in turn funded politicians who supported the industry. Then timber funded local counties, which received hundreds of millions of dollars each year for schools and roads. The whole economy depended on the Forest Service keeping the logs flowing.”(Scott, A. 2020).

Being a logger wasn’t just any ordinary job. It was a livelihood and a way of life. Towns and families were built upon milling companies and their employees. A change happened in the 70s-80s. Individuals started worrying more about trees and thinking less about loggers. They started treasuring forests for more than just wood. This seemingly small transition in thinking caused decades-long battles that engulfed the northwest and gradually the whole country. “Mill City was one of dozens of flourishing timber towns, where a job in the woods or at the local sawmill could support a good life. Those protests like the Easter Massacre and the spotted owl court cases upended that, leaving locals to ask, what’s the true endangered species: owls or loggers?” (Scott, A. 2020).

Loggers became a kind of chess piece in the milling industries game. Logging companies knew for a fact that the loggers and mill workers would be the ones to pay the price. One example is the North Roaring Devil timber sale. This timber sale incorporated several groves of old-growth trees in the Willamette Forest. Jim Morgan, the boss at one of Oregons' timber companies. They had been trying to keep environmentalists from the sale by refusing to plow the roads. On Easter Sunday, he snuck a work crew in to cut down the trees behind everyone's backs “So what was with the rush? Well, there was a court date on Tuesday, and there was fear the judge could side with the environmentalists and put this logging on hold. So the fallers were racing to cut the trees first.”(Scott, A. 2020). Because once the wood hit the ground, the deal was done.  They were faced with a group of activists when they made it to the forest that morning. Then for the loggers, this was a job that they had been paid to do. It was a job they were passionate about. This forest alone was enough to produce more than 50,000 homes a year. The forest was a honey pot for milling companies.

It wasn’t until the first court ruling in 1989 that put the life of a logger in jeopardy. They began to feel that a bird’s life was more important than theirs. Because without trees to cut, many would lose their jobs, homes, and livelihood.  Reporters started pouring into Mill City, and they were not painting the citizens of Mill City in the best light. Everyone was calling it a dying timber town. It was clear they were on the losing end of the PR battle.

 ^{Perspective 2: Environmental Activists} 

Now for the longest time, Environmentalists were looked at as dirty hippies who loved to hug trees and save animals. Who got in the way of people doing their jobs. The environmentalists weren’t even interested in old-growth til more research came out in the mid-80s they were busy fighting for wilderness areas (mountains and rivers). While they love trees and animals, they also are advocates for things that aren't able to advocate for themselves.

There was not any middle ground between the loggers and the environmentalists. One wanted the trees cut and the other didn’t. At the time neither knew the importance of old-growth trees. Then the activists knew that it was something worth saving. They were so passionate about this cause that they risked going to jail. "He chose to be carried, because, in these early years, it was all about nonviolent resistance—simply putting your body in the way. Deputies arrested him and twelve others on disorderly conduct that first day. Then as word spread, more people arrived to take their place."(Scott, A. 2020).

After learning more information from federal scientists. They brought the media into this discussion with their protests. They did a pretty good job getting the media's attention. While some of the press was bad the ones that weren't painted these trees in a brand new light. People across the country began rooting for the trees especially when the spotted owl came into play. These activists were some of the powerhouses of the movement They grabbed the attention of the loggers, the government, the scientists, and everyone else. They were pushing petitions. Baracadding work sites. Coming together as a team to fight for something they believed in so strongly. Fighting against a federation like the Forest Service was no joke. They were doing everything they could to get the activists out of the way.

 ^{Perspective 3: Scientists} 

At the start of the timber wars, scientists knew that forests were important but the knowledge they had on old-growth forests was little to none. This changed when Jerry Franklin got a job in 1957. Jerry Franklin was a researcher for an establishment called the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. This forest was used to study the quickest and most efficient way to cut down old-growth trees. By the mid-sixties, the people who were running this forest felt they had gathered all the knowledge they were searching for and decided to give the woods back to the loggers. Then Jerry felt there was still more to know so, he fought to keep it. To be able to keep it they had to have someone running it. “They found a cutting-edge international program focused on studying the earth’s major ecosystems. Their preposterous pitch, at least in the eyes of their supervisors? To study the old growth not as a crop, but as an ecosystem. And this, it turned out, was a very dangerous idea”(Scott, A. 2020). These scientists had to fight tooth and nail to get the information they were desperately searching for.

One of the biggest steps in collecting new information about the old-growth trees was when they were able to go up into the canopy of the trees. They found an entirely different ecosystem with animals that haven't touched the ground in generations. All relying on the old-growth forests. In 1981 they deduced that at the pace we were logging, we’d fully liquidate the rest of the old growth in four decades. Accepting that the old-growth forests were their own ecosystem was a huge challenge. The Forest Service didn’t want to acknowledge this because then they would have to account for it in their plans, and their deals, and maybe even save it.

The Wildlife Federation was also extremely against making the spotted owl an endangered species going as far as firing their employees."The Wildlife Federation fired me because of the spotted owl. They fired me on Friday. They rehired me that following Monday and only told me on Monday, by the way, we fired you on Friday, but the CEOs had a change of heart and you’ve been rehired subject to the following constraints. You are to make no outgoing phone calls. You are to sign no correspondence. You are to attend no meetings. We’ll continue to pay you to do nothing at all." (Stahl, A. 2020)

 ^{Perspective 4: U.S Forest Service} 

The U.S. Forest Service manages around 193 million acres of public lands in national forests and grasslands. The U.S. Forest Service is probably one of if not the most prominent characters in play. They held a lot of responsibility during this time. They had to juggle the milling companies, lumber companies, loggers, and protestors while also focusing on how much wood they sold. "Many people today might think of the Forest Service’s mission as taking care of the forests. I mean, it’s in the name. Then, the Forest Service’s main job at the time, particularly in the Northwest, was selling trees to the highest bidder."(Scott, A. 2020).

The forest service at the time was going behind court cases' backs to try to get their sale in. This was part of their job. They felt as though they needed to make as much profit as they could. They became the instigators during protests bulldozing down barricades. The HJ Andrews Experimental Forest was used by the Forest Service to learn how to cut down old-growth trees as best and as efficiently as possible. During this time, not a ton of research had been done into trees. The forest service was mainly in the trade of growing trees as a crop. They were very prideful stating "you give us some money, and we'll get this job done" At this point, the whole economy depended on the Forest Service to keep the logs flowing. With that amount of pressure, they did make rash decisions to try to keep financial peace in the U.S.

Stakeholder Analysis Diagram

Recommended Approach

My recommended approach would be collaboration. This tool is invaluable because there are so many sides to this debate. Because this is a touchy topic, having an open line of communication would be incredibly important. I would start by gathering the leaders from each group involved in this matter and anyone else who wants their voices heard. I would gather Federal scientists, environmental activists, loggers and mill workers, logging companies, F&W, the Forest Service, and a government official.

I chose these stakeholders because I believe they are most affected by this issue. Once we have a set group of leaders, it would be critical to have a sit-down meeting with everyone involved. Because this is such a sensitive subject, we would need a mediator. That would keep us on track and make it as peaceful and respectful as possible.

Tim Hicks would be one of my choices for a mediator. He's a mediator based in Oregon with 22 years of experience. He has worked on similar cases to be neutral for all sides. He has labored in many multi-party public meetings. I believe he would be well-suited for this position. I think this conversation would start very tense. Because their beliefs range widely on this issue, it would take time for everyone to calm down and get their ideas across. This first step will probably take a few meetings. Then everyone can get their points across. It would also be imperative to take notes and keep an archive. It's essential to continually check in with each stakeholder every few months and adjust the decisions we have come to as we see fit. I don’t believe everyone would be happy with this tool because there is no perfect solution. I think most people involved will be half-happy at most. Then I think it will have a more significant impact because everyone will at least feel like they have been understood.