Drawing Lines in the Forest: Creating Wilderness Areas in the Pacific Northwest (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Book.)

By Kevin R. Marsh

Book Overview

Drawing boundaries around wilderness areas often serves a double purpose: protection of the land within the boundary and release of the land outside the boundary to resource extraction and other development. In Drawing Lines in the Forest, Kevin R. Marsh discusses the roles played by various groups--the Forest Service, the timber industry, recreationists, and environmentalists--in arriving at these boundaries. He shows that pragmatic, rather than ideological, goals were often paramount, with all sides benefiting.

After World War II, representatives of both logging and recreation use sought to draw boundaries that would serve to guarantee access to specific areas of public lands. The logging industry wanted to secure a guaranteed supply of timber, as an era of stewardship of the nation's public forests gave way to an emphasis on rapid extraction of timber resources. This spawned a grassroots preservationist movement that ultimately challenged the managerial power of the Forest Service. The Wilderness Act of 1964 provided an opportunity for groups on all sides to participate openly and effectively in the political process of defining wilderness boundaries.

The often contentious debates over the creation of wilderness areas in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and Washington represent the most significant stages in the national history of wilderness conservation since World War II: Three Sisters, North Cascades and Glacier Peak, Mount Jefferson, Alpine Lakes, French Pete, and the state-wide wilderness acts of 1984.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295987022
• ISBN13: 9780295987026
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Saving wilderness, one valley at a time

Like no other book, "Drawing Lines in the Forest" gets down to detail on how wilderness areas came to be protected, focusing on five case histories in Oregon and Washington. I saw some of these events myself, first as a student in Oregon in the 1950s, later as a federal land management official in Washington DC. Professor Marsh digs deep into archival sources to tell us how dedicated citizens managed to save wild forested valleys that had been slated for logging. They had to overcome bureaucratic opposition from the US Forest Service, reach compromises with the timber industry, and persuade the US Congress to act. You will read about their frustrations, their wit, and their perseverance. Right now, people all over the country are following in their footsteps with a new round of wilderness proposals. I highly recommend this book to the next generation of wilderness defenders and everyone who loves wild land.