The Bitterroot & Mr. Brandborg

by Swanson, Frederick H.

• ISBN13: 9781607811015
• ISBN10: 1607811014
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-03-15
• Publisher: Univ of Utah Pr

Summary

Fredrick Swanson tells the story of Guy M. Brandborg and his impact on the practices of the U.S. Forest Service. As supervisor of Montana#x19;s Bitterroot National Forest from 1935 to 1955, Brandborg engaged in a management style that promoted not only the well-being of the forest community but also the social and economic welfare of the local people. By relying on selective cutting, his goal was to protect the watersheds and wildlife habitats that are devastated by clear-cutting, and to prevent the job losses that follow such practices. Following his retirement, he became concerned that his agency was deviating from the practice of sustained-yield management of the forest#x19;s timber lands, and led a highly visible public outcry that became known as the Bitterroot controversy. Brandborg#x19;s behind-the-scenes lobbying contributed materially to the passage of the National Forest Management Act of 1976, the single most important law affecting public forestry since the creation of the Forest Service. Meticulously written, The Bitterroot and Mr. Brandborgarticulates Brandborg#x19;s Progressive-era idealism and is based on extensive archival research in collections throughout the Rockies and the Northwest, including the Brandborg family papers. Swanson#x19;s crisp narration of how one national forest supervisor understood the intricate connection between the grasslands and forests under his care and the communities that were so dependent on these invaluable resources, opens a much larger story about the meaning of public lands in a democratic society.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Forests of the Bitterroot: 1878-1930	p. 8
Pinchot's Corps: 1881-1924	p. 20
From the Snake to the Selway: 1924-1935	p. 31
Protection Forest: 1935-1939	p. 40
Forests for the People: 1937-1941	p. 50
To Manage and Conserve: 1941-1954	p. 62
Timber Boom: 1941-1955	p. 76
The Life of the Community: 1943-1952	p. 89
Holding the Line: 1948-1958	p. 103
Redeeming the Forest: 1955-1962	p. 114
Staking Out the Selway: 1939-1967	p. 127
A Fighting Democratic Faith: 1964-1969	p. 139
Collision Course: 1965-1969	p. 154
Engineering the Resistance: 1969-1970	p. 168
Under the Microscope: 1970	p. 183
A Function of the University: 1971	p. 198
Forestry on Trial: 1970-1971	p. 211
Reporters to the Scene: 1971-1973	p. 223
Maneuvers and Negotiations: 1971-1974	p. 238
Charting a Workable Future: 1971-1976	p. 253
Legacy of a Conflict: 1976-2006	p. 268
Afterword	p. 283
Notes	p. 293
Bibliography	p. 333
Index	p. 343
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