Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

timber dependent communities as a betrayal. Many people in these communitieshave committed their personal energies and financial resources in responseto the government's assurance of a nondeclining flow of timber fromfederal forests. Many regarded this policy as a promise on the part of thegovernment. The federal timber harvest was expected to play a particularlyimportant role in the next decade or two because of the inadequacy of thetimber inventory on private lands to sustain harvest levels during that period.People in these communities have developed ways of adapting to the cyclicalunemployment that results from changes in the demand for timber that havebeen induced by national economic cycles. These adaptations depend in parton the assurance that the timber supply would be adequate to support recoveryas soon as the demand for timber rebounded. As Lee reported, theseadaptations are not well suited for coping with permanent reductions in timberharvest levels, the resulting permanent reductions in timber industry employmentand the resulting effects on peoples' income.Sociological research in timber-dependent communities has shown that peopledeveloped shared values and behavior patterns that allowed them to cope withcyclical changes in timber demand. People share a commitment to hard work,individualism, and self-reliance. While these values often are regarded as thebedrock of American culture, they may inhibit the development of cohesivenessand adaptability needed to make the changes in careers and economic structureto respond to a permanent decline in timber harvests.As Lee reported, loggers have relied on their reputation as skilled woodsworkers and their mobility to find work. A logger has been able to improve hiseconomic security. by developing a reputation as a "good worker." Loggersappear to have developed a sense of occupational community, a commitment tologging as a way of life that may inhibit adaptation to permanent reduction intimber employment through career change. Many mill workers are less mobilethan loggers and tend to be dependent on a single mill. Small business ownershave committed their life's savings to investment in their enterprises, knowingthat they would have some hard times during down-cycles, but expecting that,over the long run, the timber supply would provide support for their businesses.The controversy about protection of the owl appears to have elements of anemerging conflict between urban populations wanting increased protection ofenvironmental resources and rural populations that have worked in extractiveindustries. According to Lee, people in timber dependent communities fear thedominance of the urban majority and feel manipulated by the apparent expectationthat they will adapt to the change in the timber supply. Moreover, thisconflict is exacerbated by the attempt to exclude wood products workers fromthe larger community of people regarded as deserving sympathy and fairtreatment (Lee 1991 c).Sociologic research indicates that the social costs in timber dependent communitiesmay be heightened by the stereotyping and stigmatizing methods thatsome groups advocating preservation of owl habitat have employed, particularlyagainst loggers. From their studies of behavior in other communities,sociologists know that the resulting dehumanization can make victimizationmore likely and can cause maladaptive behavior among victims. The combinationof economic stress and stigmatization can lead to increased loss of selfesteem,depression and passivity, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and familydysfunction. Sociologists regard such situations as life-threatening traumasthat can cause maladaptive behavior patterns that can be transmitted throughfamilies for generations.549