In Timber Country: Working People's Stories of Environmental Conflict and Urban Flight

Conflicts in Urban and Regional Development

by Beverly A. Brown

Southwest Oregon embodies the fast-changing social and environmental trends of the Pacific Northwest. This book analyzes the subsequent transformation of the region. Working-class men and women describe a segregation of private forest lands and waterways where people could once move freely, they are boxed in by fences and No Trespassing signs.

300 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1995

Reviews

[Alex K. Baechle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating snapshot of a time and place where now-liberal aesthetics began to take root and accelerate in a region with a history of wilderness and small-town America. A good case study for those who would trace the roots and appeal of Gingrich/Limbaugh/Trump era chest-thumping pig-Republicanism.

[Carol Colfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins with an excellent historical treatment of the legislation and trends that have affected the Rogue River Valley (adjacent to Oregon's southern border, with California)---specifically the counties of Josephine and Jackson. It then provides verbatim narratives, from individuals from those communities, about their life stories and their concerns. There is discussion of the spotted owl issue, fire, 'white flight' tendencies (from California), the closing of mills, domestic violence, a history of ethnic discrimination, the change from a timber to a multiple use strategy for forest management, the multitudinous governmental bodies with a stake in forest management and how those interact with private and industry interests in local forests. It's quite a good book, providing a nice snapshot of that area, over time (the book was published in 1995, so it's not entirely up to date).