Old Growth and New Roots: The Shifting Landscape of Forest Defense in Oregon

Abstract

Oregon has a storied history of activism shaped by the Timber Wars and radical activist groups like Earth First! In the modern day, more literature is needed to understand how the landscapes of Forest Defense are shifting in line and away from its past. This paper argues that the lingerances of radical activism and the onset of a New Environmentalism each sculpt conceptions and expressions of forest defense work. This paper tracks how they shape practices, social networks, and nature-self relationships of affection and attachment. Conceptualizing Forest Defense as a shifting and complex landscape unified by practices of attachment and shaped by conflicting conceptions of self and work is crucial to mapping a path forward of forest activist and conservationist engagement.