Talk and Log
For more than three decades, British Columbia's old growthforests have been a major source of political conflict. In Talk andLog, Jeremy Wilson presents a comprehensive account of the rise ofthe wilderness movement, examines the forest industry's politicalstrategies, and analyzes the inner workings of the policy process.
Wilson describes a number of major political battles, such as thoseresulting in preservation of South Moresby, the Carmanah, and theValhalla wilderness, and investigates the factors that pushed thegovernment towards a more comprehensive approach to expanding theprotected areas system. He considers a wide range of forest policydevelopments and assesses the effectiveness of government and industryattempts to contain the wilderness movement. In the final part, heexplores the Harcourt NDP government's reform initiatives,including the Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE), theProtected Areas Strategy, and the Forest Practices Code.
Talk and Log illuminates the forces behind controveriesthat have divided British Columbians, preoccupied the provincialgovernment, and drawn the attention of people across Canada and theworld. By discussing the patterns and trends underlying the past threedecades of wilderness politics, Wilson identifies the currents likelyto dominate B.C. wilderness debates in decades to come.
Awards
- 1998, Shortlisted - Donner Prize, Donner Foundation
A comprehensive and readable history of the rise of the wilderness movement in BC, the counterattacks by industry and response by government. Anyone who has been involved over the last three decades in any forestry issues from the Stein to Clayoquot will find this book of value as it throws some light on the back room deals and minds of the policy makers and politicians ... The text should be required reading for all senior politicians to catch up on the rhetoric their predecessors were spouting 20 and 30 years ago ... This is a great read and will catch you up on the last 30 years if you weren’t there for all of it.
[Wilson] has written an impressive study of the development of forest policy in British Columbia ... While the book will be of most immediate interest to students of Canadian politics, its rich analysis of the interplay of industry, environmentalists, and government makes a significant contribution to the environmental policy literature.
Wilson's book is epic in covering the events, strategies, and personalities that formed the basis of wilderness politics ... This historical account allows us all to see where we fought in the battle, what armour we put on, and how we acted out our parts ... This is a compelling read for anyone who was there. For anyone who missed it but wants to enter the debate, it is the definitive history.
Tables and Maps
Preface
Introduction
1. Perspectives on the Policy Process: Puzzling,‘Powering,’ and the Constraining Importance of the PolicyLegacy
2. The BC Forest Industry
3. The BC Wilderness Movement
4. Government Institutions and the Policy System
5. ‘You Have to Break a Few Eggs’: EnvironmentalismChallenges the Resource Development Juggernaut of the 1960s
6. The Ragamuffins and the Crown Jewels: Bob Williams Confronts theForest Policy Orthodoxy
7. The Delegitimation of Social Credit Forest Policy, 1976-91
8. Containing the Wilderness Movement, 1976-85
9. ‘Have a Good Day, and Try Not To Damage the Grass’:Wars in the Woods, 1986-91
10. The Shifting Discourse of Wilderness Politics, 1986-91
11. The Rise of the Cappuccino Suckers
12. Sausage Making in the 1990s: Forest Practices and Allowable Cutsunder the NDP Conclusion
Appendices
Notes
Glossary of Acronyms
Select Bibliography
Index
