Lumber Production and Community Stability: A View from the Pacific Northwest

D uring the twentieth century, the great naturalresource industries in North America have struggled to bring order and predictability to economic activity. To assist in that end they sought from the United States government a variety of services, technical assistance, and tax and income policies all designed to effect an orderly business atmosphere: That effort is especially apparent in the mercurial and highly competitive lumber industry centered in the Pacific Northwest.! A group of