Strong Winds and Widow Makers: Workers, Nature, and Environmental Conflict in Pacific Northwest Timber Country

Timber workers in the Northwest are often portrayed as villains in environmental battles, but Steven C. Beda's book reveals that they have a deep connection to the forest and value its health and future. Life experiences like hunting, fishing, foraging, and hiking shape their sense of place, which sometimes clashes with environmentalists' views or employers' desires. Beda's sympathetic account helps us understand that timber communities fought to protect their livelihood and saw the forest as an integral part of themselves.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 13 December 2022
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Winner of the 2022 Philip Taft Labor History Book Prize, timber workers in the Northwest are often portrayed as villains in environmental battles. However, their connection to the forest extends far beyond jobs and economic issues. In his book, Steven C. Beda delves into the complex true story of how and why timber-working communities have become concerned with the health and future of the surrounding woods. Life experiences such as hunting, fishing, foraging, and hiking have imbued timber country with meanings and values that nurture a deep sense of place in workers, their families, and their communities. This sense of place has shaped ideas about protection that sometimes clash with the views of environmentalists or the desires of employers. Beda's sympathetic and in-depth look at the human beings whose lives are embedded in the woods helps us understand that timber communities fought not just to protect their livelihood but because they saw the forest as a vital part of themselves.

Winner of the 2022 Philip Taft Labor History Book Prize, timber workers in the Northwest are often portrayed as villains in environmental battles. However, their connection to the forest extends far beyond jobs and economic issues. In his book, Steven C. Beda delves into the complex true story of how and why timber-working communities have become concerned with the health and future of the surrounding woods. Life experiences such as hunting, fishing, foraging, and hiking have imbued timber country with meanings and values that nurture a deep sense of place in workers, their families, and their communities. This sense of place has shaped ideas about protection that sometimes clash with the views of environmentalists or the desires of employers. Beda's sympathetic and in-depth look at the human beings whose lives are embedded in the woods helps us understand that timber communities fought not just to protect their livelihood but because they saw the forest as a vital part of themselves.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252086823