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"Forests and Forestry in the Eastern Hardwood Region"
October, 1997

Science and politics are on a collision course in the eastern hardwood region, just as certainly as they were a decade ago in the West. Though most forests in this region are privately owned, there is no question that environmental activists have targeted rural Appalachian timber communities for the same kind of assault that has destroyed much of the rural West's once robust timber economy. 

Lost amid environmentalist rhetoric is the story of the remarkable recovery of southern Appalachian forests. Hard as it is to believe, many of these forests are growing in pastures that were abandoned by destitute farmers in the early 1900s. Among them: the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, most of it clearcut for timber or cleared for farming early in the last century. 

This beautifully photographed report traces the region's natural and human history. It is filled with memorable interviews, plus charts and graphs that illustrate the resilience of these forests and those who work in them. Among our interviews: rural activist Mary Wirth, West Virginia sawmill owner John Crites, Tennessee State Forester Ken Arney and Dr. Alan Houston, one of the East's most respected forest scientists.