Scientists, Uncertainty and Nature, an Analysis of the Development, Implementation and Unintended Consequences of the Northwest Forest Plan

Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Winter 2-28-2019 Scientists, Uncertainty and Nature, an Analysis of the Development, Implementation and Unintended Consequences of the Northwest Forest Plan Gilbert David Miller Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Environmental Policy Commons, Forest Management Commons, and the Sociology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Miller, Gilbert David, "Scientists, Uncertainty and Nature, an Analysis of the Development, Implementation and Unintended Consequences of the Northwest Forest Plan" (2019). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4809. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.6693 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Scientists, Uncertainty and Nature, An Analysis of the Development, Implementation and Unintended Consequences of the Northwest Forest Plan by Gilbert David Miller A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Earth, Environment and Society Dissertation Committee: Craig Shinn, Chair Darrell Brown Max Nielsen-Pincus Robert Scheller Nathan McClintock Portland State University 2019 © 2019 Gilbert David Miller Abstract The conflict in the Pacific Northwest between competing visions of how federal forests should be managed resulted in a political stalemate in the early 1990s. The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) was initiated to resolve the demands for maintaining ecosystem processes and biological diversity with the social and economic needs for timber harvest. The foundation for the plan rested with the development of ecosystem management. The intent of this research is to explore the events which led up to the adoption of the NWFP, how it was implemented by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and the subsequent reactions to and consequences of the plan. The primary research consisted of thirty-eight semi-structured interviews with individuals responsible for the development of the initial plan, those tasked with implementing the plan and current federal agency personnel from the land management agencies and regulatory agencies. With the use of thematic analysis, key meanings were captured as expressed by the interviewees. The data was analyzed using institutional theory, capturing the organizational relations within the organizational field of the land management agencies. Research findings suggest that the NWFP was unsuccessful in meeting the goal of addressing the social and economic issues as well as the goals for ecosystem management. This dissertation explores the organizational practices and cultural meanings that led to the final instantiation of the plan. It seeks to shed light on the reasons why these goals were not met and how future forest plans can move beyond the current stalemate between conservation and preservation. i Acknowledgements I want to express my gratitude to the thirty-eight interviewees who gave me their time, insights and stories about the Northwest Forest Plan. They provided me with an education and experience that I hope this dissertation captures. I am indebted to my dissertation committee for their dedication, being a source of academic training and their countless hours spent with me. I want to thank Dr. Rob Scheller, Dr. Max Nielsen-Pincus and Dr. Nathan McClintock for their commitment to me and my research. I want to thank Dr. Darrell Brown for believing in me and providing support for my entrance into the graduate program, changing my life. To my chair, Dr. Craig Shinn, you have provided me with a natural resource social science training, a legacy I am now proud to call my own. Your encouragement, mentoring and commitment were constant and invaluable. To my PSU friends and colleagues, thank you for your support and encouragement on this journey. I want to thank my parents and siblings for their love and faith in me. To my children, Olivia and Julian, you inspire me with your love and friendship. To my wife Megan, thank you for your support these last six years. Without your love, caring and understanding, I would not have been able to make it through this process. You never questioned my crazy idea to go back to school and reinvent myself. ii Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………...… i Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………….….…. ii List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………… vi List of Figures ……………………………………………………………...……….….. vii List of Abbreviations ………………………………………………….…………….… viii Chapter 1: Literature Review Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… 1 Reactions to 19th Century Deforestation ………………………………………… 4 Foundations of Conservation ……………………………………………………. 5 Foundations of Environmentalism ………………………………………………. 8 Chapter 2: Research Problem Formulation The Northwest Forest Plan ………………………………………………...…… 12 Oregon Endangered Species Task Forces ……………………………...………. 15 Listing of the Northern Spotted Owl …………………………………………... 18 Interagency Scientific Committee to Address the Conservation of the Northern Spotted Owl …………………………………………………………...……….. 21 The Scientific Panel on Late-Successional Forest Ecosystems (Gang of Four) .. 27 The Scientific Analysis Team …………………………………………………. 29 Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team ……………………………. 32 Chapter 3: Research Methodology and Study Design Research Strategy ……………………………………………………………… 41 iii Definition of Study Universe ……………………...…………………………… 42 Sources of Evidence ……………………………………………………………. 43 Analytic Design of Research …………………...……………………………… 48 Qualifications of Research ……………………………………………………... 50 Chapter 4: Research Analysis Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 56 Environmental Community …………………………………………………….. 56 Timber Community …………………………………………………………….. 62 Regulatory Agencies …………………………………………………………… 67 Academic Community …………………………………………………………. 72 Bureau of Land Management ………………………………………………….. 81 US Forest Service ……………………………………………………………… 94 Chapter 5: Discussion of Findings Introduction …………………………………………………………………… 107 Scientists as Arbiters of Legal Issues and Social Values ………….……….…. 113 The Foundational Meaning of Uncertainty and Certainty ……………………. 119 Social Constructs of Nature …………………………………………………... 132 The US Land Management Agencies Moving Forward ……………………… 143 Chapter 6: Discussion and Conclusion Implications of the Research …………………………………………………. 153 Dynamics of Organizational Fields ……………………………..……………. 158 Directions for Future Research ……………………………………………….. 165 iv Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 168 References …………………………………………………………………………….. 172 Appendix. List of Interviewees ………………………………………………...…….. 178 v List of Tables Table 1. Mythology of the American West …………………………………...………. 10 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Map of Northwest Forest Plan region ………………….…………………… 14 Figure 2. Organizational Field of the USFS and BLM ………………………………. 110 Figure 3. Forest Plan Revision Process ………………………………………………. 150 Figure 4. Organizational Field for Land Management Agencies Prior to NWFP …… 160 Figure 5. Organizational Field for Land Management Agencies at Introduction of NWFP …………………………………………………………………... 163 Figure 6. Current Organizational Field for Land Management Agencies …………… 165 vii List of Abbreviations ACS Aquatic Conservation Strategy BLM Bureau of Land Management CAA Clean Air Act CWA Clean Water Act DCA Designated Conservation Areas EIS Environmental Impact Statement ESA Endangered Species Act FEMAT Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team FLPMA Federal Land Policy Management Act HCA Habitat Conservation Area ISC Interagency Scientific Committee to Address the Conservation of the Northern Spotted Owl MOCA Managed Owl Conservation Areas MUSY Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act of 1960 NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries NPS National Park Service NWFP Northwest Forest Pan NSO Northern Spotted Owl O & C Act The Oregon and California Revested Lands Act of 1937 OESTF Oregon Endangered Species Task Force SAT Scientific Analysis Team SEIS Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement SOHA Spotted Owl Habitat Areas RIEC Regional Interagency Executive Committee ROD Record of Decision USFS United States Forest Service USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey viii “Environmental issues are linked to the ebb and flow of political life because the origins of natural resources are to be found in society, not in the earth. Unlike nature, the web of human society is woven of myth and rhetoric, of faith and persuasion, which filter and sort the meanings of man and nature. Therefore, environmental crises, like other social problems, emerge when the traditional myths and rhetorics are questioned and new ones compete for their replacement” (Burch 1971). Chapter 1: Literature Review Introduction Two federal land management agencies, the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have been influenced by of a shift in social values defining the meaning of federal forests in both cultural and economic terms. This shift in social values began in the United States in the 1960s with the development of a greater environmental awareness regarding the impact of management practices of both private industry

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