Defending Giants

The Redwood Wars and the Transformation of American Environmental Politics

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Plant Life, Trees, Environment, Environmental Conservation & Protection, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Defending Giants by Darren Frederick Speece, University of Washington Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Darren Frederick Speece ISBN: 9780295999524
Publisher: University of Washington Press Publication: May 1, 2017
Imprint: University of Washington Press Language: English
Author: Darren Frederick Speece
ISBN: 9780295999524
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication: May 1, 2017
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Language: English

Giant redwoods are American icons, paragons of grandeur, exceptionalism, and endurance. They are also symbols of conflict and negotiation, remnants of environmental battles over the limits of industrialization, profiteering, and globalization.

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, logging operations have eaten away at the redwood forest, particularly areas covered by ancient giant redwoods. Today, such trees occupy a mere 120,000 acres. Their existence is testimony to the efforts of activists to rescue some of these giants from destruction. Very few conservation battles have endured longer or with more violence than on the North Coast of California, behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain.

Defending Giants explores the long history of the Redwood Wars, focusing on the ways rural Americans fought for control over both North Coast society and its forests. Activists defended these trees not only because the redwood forest had dwindled in size, but also because, by the late twentieth century, the local economy was increasingly dominated by multinational corporations. The resulting conflict—the Redwood Wars—pitted workers and environmental activists against the rising tide of globalization and industrial logging in a complex war over endangered species, sustainable forestry, and, of course, the fate of the last ancient redwoods. Activists perched in trees and filed lawsuits, while the timber industry, led by Pacific Lumber, fought the lawsuits and used their power to halt reform efforts. Ultimately, the Clinton administration sidestepped Congress and the courts to negotiate an innovative compromise. In the process, the Redwood Wars transformed American environmental politics by shifting the balance of power away from Congress and into the hands of the executive branch.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Giant redwoods are American icons, paragons of grandeur, exceptionalism, and endurance. They are also symbols of conflict and negotiation, remnants of environmental battles over the limits of industrialization, profiteering, and globalization.

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, logging operations have eaten away at the redwood forest, particularly areas covered by ancient giant redwoods. Today, such trees occupy a mere 120,000 acres. Their existence is testimony to the efforts of activists to rescue some of these giants from destruction. Very few conservation battles have endured longer or with more violence than on the North Coast of California, behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain.

Defending Giants explores the long history of the Redwood Wars, focusing on the ways rural Americans fought for control over both North Coast society and its forests. Activists defended these trees not only because the redwood forest had dwindled in size, but also because, by the late twentieth century, the local economy was increasingly dominated by multinational corporations. The resulting conflict—the Redwood Wars—pitted workers and environmental activists against the rising tide of globalization and industrial logging in a complex war over endangered species, sustainable forestry, and, of course, the fate of the last ancient redwoods. Activists perched in trees and filed lawsuits, while the timber industry, led by Pacific Lumber, fought the lawsuits and used their power to halt reform efforts. Ultimately, the Clinton administration sidestepped Congress and the courts to negotiate an innovative compromise. In the process, the Redwood Wars transformed American environmental politics by shifting the balance of power away from Congress and into the hands of the executive branch.

More books from University of Washington Press

Cover of the book Caring for Glaciers by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Ancient Ink by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Philosophers of Consciousness by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Fire in America by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book The Social Life of Inkstones by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Plains Indian Rock Art by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Dismembered by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Fire on the Rim by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book California through Native Eyes by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Island Year by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Molecular Feminisms by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Wild Civility by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Vestal Fire by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book Ways of Being Ethnic in Southwest China by Darren Frederick Speece
Cover of the book The Promise of Wilderness by Darren Frederick Speece
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy