Listen to the 'Timber Wars' podcast

Latest Stories


THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

‘Timber Wars’ episode 1: The last stand

The behind-the-scenes story of how a small group of activists and scientists turned the fight over ancient trees and the spotted owl into one of the biggest environmental conflicts of the 20th century.


‘Timber Wars’ bonus episode: Wildfire

The fight over wildfire and forest management is the newest front in the Timber Wars, so after a year of record fires, we take a deep dive into OPB's reporting on wildfire and what we should do about it.



Some woodpeckers, like Black-backed (pictured) and Lewis's, are identified by scientists as "fire dependent" because they only flourish in forests after fire.

‘Timber Wars’ episode 7: A way forward

A group of loggers and environmentalists have found some semblance of common ground in the midst of the Timber Wars.



‘Timber Wars’ episode 5: The plan

The Timber Wars reached a scale that the president held a first-of-its-kind summit to broker peace to an environmental conflict.


‘Timber Wars’ episode 4: Mill City

Before the protests and court cases, Mill City lived up to its name as a place where sawmills created plenty of jobs.


A northern spotted owl in the old growth forest of Oregon

‘Timber Wars’ episode 3: The owl

How a reclusive bird halted the march of chainsaws through the Northwest's last stands of ancient forest.




Listen: ‘Timber Wars,’ a new podcast from OPB

OPB's seven-episode podcast "Timber Wars" tells the story of how a small group of activists and scientists turned a fight over ancient trees and the spotted owl into one of the biggest environmental conflicts of the 20th century, and in the process redefined the very way we see—and fight over—the natural world.



What’s changed in Oregon since the Timber Wars?

What's changed in the 30 years since Oregon was thrust into the spotlight during the "Timber Wars"? Three "Oregon Field Guide" stories reflect on the spotted owl, the culture of the timber community of Philomath and whether one successful effort to find a compromise in John Day can reveal a path forward.


THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

OPB explores our region's relationship with its forests. That relationship has been evolving for 30 years — ever since a mild-mannered bird called the northern spotted owl landed on the endangered species list.