Wars in the Woods

The Rise of Ecological Forestry in America

Samuel Hays, one of the pioneers of conservation history, has written another gem. Wars in the Woods examines the growing conflict over forest management in the United States between 'traditional, commodity forestry' and 'ecological forestry,' paying special attention to the role of state and regional issues. If you want to better understand American society's increasingly contentious views of its forests, read this book.
Christopher McGrory Klyza, Middlebury College

Request Exam or Desk Copy. Request Review Copy

Wars in the Woods examines the conflicts that have developed over the preservation of forests in America, and how government agencies and advocacy groups have influenced the management of forests and their resources for more than a century. Samuel Hays provides an astute analysis of manipulations of conservation law that have touched off a battle between what he terms “ecological forestry” and “commodity forestry.” Hays also reveals the pervading influence of the wood products industry, and the training of U.S. Forest Service to value tree species marketable as wood products, as the primary forces behind forestry policy since the Forest Management Act of 1897.
Wars in the Woods gives a comprehensive account of the many grassroots and scientific organizations that have emerged since then to combat the lumber industry and other special interest groups and work to promote legislation to protect forests, parks, and wildlife habitats. It also offers a review of current forestry practices, citing the recent Federal easing of protections as a challenge to the progress made in the last third of the twentieth century.
Hays describes an increased focus on ecological forestry in areas such as biodiversity, wildlife habitat, structural diversity, soil conservation, watershed management, native forests, and old growth. He provides a valuable framework for the critical assessment of forest management policies and the future study and protection of forest resources.

296 Pages, 6 x 9.2 in.

November, 2006

isbn : 9780822959403

about the author

Samuel P. Hays

Samuel P. Hays was University Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of Wars in the Woods: The Rise of Ecological Forestry in America; Explorations in Environmental History; Conservation and the Gospel of Efficiency: The Progressive Conservation Movement, 1890-1920; and, with Barbara D. Hays, Beauty, Health, and Permanence: Environmental Politics in the United States, 1955-1985.

learn more
Samuel P. Hays