The Final Forest: The Battle for the Last Great Trees of the Pacific Northwest

The chief science correspondent for the Seattle Times here examines the many sides of the ongoing debate over the logging of America's last remaining ancient forest, on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. Using the town of Forks as a focal point, Dietrich allows the participants in this drama--loggers, truckers, foresters, timber company representatives, environmentalists and politicians--to speak for their own interests. Exploring a dense thicket of social ? with `social,' seems unnecessary and economic issues, he discovers a human dilemma at the center? since thickets don't have cores? : the plight of the men and women whose livelihood depends on the woods, tragically caught between big industry and environmentalists. The author contends that the U.S. government's shortsighted policies have led not only to these workers' loss of dignity and self-respect but also to the unnecessary destruction of thousands of acres of old-growth trees. Engrossing and well-written, this is a model of balanced reporting and reasoned analysis. ( June )