Theorizing Logger Religion within the Pacific Northwest Timber Conflict

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Serenari ◽  
Nils Peterson ◽  
Brett Clark
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Sacred And Profane ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Timber Extraction

This paper examines the links between the material and symbolic nature of timber extraction during the Pacific Northwest (PNW) timber wars of the 1980s and 1990s. Applying Durkheim’s work on religion and social solidarity, the authors consider a form of logger religion that emerged through many years of PNW timber production, shaping the identities of loggers and timber community dynamics. This paper proposes that forests are spaces that bridge the sacred and profane. Our evaluation examines a totemic meaning assigned to loggers originating from forest-based labour and reinforced by timber communities through rituals. Throughout the timber wars, loggers also developed a conflicted consciousness, stemming from their connection to and the destruction of forests. Given the character of logger religion that existed, the deployment of forest management and community development policies may not adequately re-create tacit relationships between the sacred and profane, previously damaged as a result of the drastic decline in timber production in the PNW.

How Are Managers Making Tree Species Selection Decisions in the Pacific Northwest of the United States?

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-161
Author(s):  
Joshua Petter ◽  
Paul Ries ◽  
Ashley D’Antonio ◽  
Ryan Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
The United States ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Educational Campaigns ◽  
Urban Forest Management

Trees provide an array of social, economic, and ecological benefits; furthermore, trees on public land are critical for providing those benefits to people who cannot afford their own trees. It is important to know how managers make trade-offs and prioritize different tree selection criteria in order to target educational campaigns at the state or regional level. Primary contacts for Tree City USA designated cities were surveyed across the Pacific Northwest. Of these municipalities, 79 out of 151 responded (52.3% response rate), with 6 municipalities providing responses from different departments for a total of 85 responses. Currently, there are primarily descriptive statistics in relation to tree species selection. This study provides a framework for future statistical analysis and greater exploration of how municipalities and managers are selecting tree species. Results were analyzed with a Mann-Whitney U test to compare International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists® to those who are not certified across various tree species selection criteria. Another Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare small (≤ 50,000) and large (> 50,000) municipalities across the same criteria. ISA Certified Arborists® showed statistically significant differences from those who are not certified in a number of tree species selection criteria. ISA Certified Arborists® also differed in urban forest management on a city-wide scale, particularly in favoring greater tree species diversity. The differences in urban forest management between ISA Certified Arborists® and noncertified—and between municipality sizes—can help to influence future educational campaigns targeted toward increasing urban forest health and resiliency.

scholarly journals Climate change and forest management on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest, USA: Managing for dynamic landscapes

2022 ◽  
Vol 504 ◽  
pp. 119794
Author(s):  
William L. Gaines ◽  
Paul F. Hessburg ◽  
Gregory H. Aplet ◽  
Paul Henson ◽  
Susan J. Prichard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Federal Lands ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Dynamic Landscapes

scholarly journals Shifting Public Values for Forest Management: Making Sense of Wicked Problems

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Shindler ◽  
Lori A. Cramer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Arena ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Sociopolitical Values

Abstract Wicked problems typify many of the natural resource debates in the United States and certainly describe the management of forestlands in the Pacific Northwest. Wicked problems are interrelated ones of organized complexity that cannot be solved in isolation from one another, but also hinge on differing sociopolitical values that clash in the political arena. Forestry professionals frequently find themselves caught up in the dilemma of making decisions in this era of social change and much scrutiny. This paper examines what shifting social values mean for forest management and research by (1) providing a conceptual context for forest policy decisions, (2) examining relevant problems facing management and research institutions, and (3) characterizing the implication for public forest management given the nature of wicked problems. West. J. Appl. For. 14(1):28-34.

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