Toward a Natural Forest: The Forest Service in Transition (A Memoir)

Jim Furnish uses the story of his own career from 1965 to 2002 in the U.S. Forest Service to illustrate how the agency has evolved during that time. The two cases are parallel in that they begin with enthusiasm for the beauty of the land and its potential for timber management, especially in the West. Between the late 1960’s and 1990, the environmental movement, and eventually lawsuits, put the brakes on what had become an increasing engine of clear-cutting and unsustainable harvest. By that time Jim had risen to the position of supervisor of the Siuslaw National Forest in coastal Oregon. As an administrator he was able to oversee a transition to a program that included timber harvest but was primarily directed toward ecological restoration. But whether the Forest Service, as a whole, will fully embrace ecological forestry in the 21st century is not yet clear. During the period of heady environmentalism of the early 1990’s, with all its talk about ecosystem management, Jim worked in Washington, DC, as deputy chief. He remains loyal to the agency, but the tone of his conclusion is tempered with the sobering fact that, so far, the transition is incomplete.

The author, by profession a forester with more than 35 years with the US Forest Service, provides the reader with not only an interesting description of his personal career but also sets forth his philosophy on the long-standing practice of clear cutting on our National Forests. Following college graduation, Jim started his career in research working on forest inventory and ended up serving at the highest level within the organization. His assignments took him from coast to coast where he served in both line and staff capacities at one time or other. His memoir incorporates both his technical expertise as well as his interaction with cooperators, users and the general public that comes with the management of public resources. Being the pragmatist that he is, he focuses on the agency adopting a sustainable land ethic to shape its actions. Don Driscoll

I was drawn to reading Towards a Natural Forest from comments by Jim Furnish in Mountain Journalabout misguided forest treatments in the Dakotas. I have heard him speak a few times and I don't disagreeon his view points.

I picked this up when I was exploring the possibility of joining the U.S. Forest Service. Surprisingly there's not many books out there on the organization, and Furnish's book (while only one man's experience) was an excellent overview to the organizational mission and bureaucratic dynamics in the agency. He also tells an interesting tale of the evolution of the forest service over time as it transitions with various administrations in balancing the lumber, recreation, and environmentalism interests. A great read for anyone interesting in reading out the history of the organization, or anyone interesting in perhaps working there professionally.

Previous reviewers have noted the excellence of this book from the standpoint of honesty, candor ,and the author's willingness to lay bare his metamorphosis as a USDA Forest Service employee from young true believer to constructive skeptic to hopeful retiree. As a former USDA assistant secretary charged with giving the Forest Service policy direction I saw those internal struggles within the agency at first hand, and Jim Furnish's descriptions are accurate. I read the book in one day, taking breaks only when necessary. This is a true picture of an endangered agency.

I don't know what I expected, but this book was astonishing on several fronts. It is an engrossing and readable account of a career in the U.S. Forest Service during a time when the Forest Service was undergoing dramatic change, from a traditional timber harvest-based orientation to a more stewardship oriented agency. The author provides a peek behind the curtains into the inner workings of a federal agency and how agency change was experienced. I found the book insightful and I know you will find this hard to believe, but it was quite the page turner! Great read!

A fascinating story that will be of interest to a broad audience: natural resource professionals, students and educators, or anyone interested in the past and future of public land management. In Jim's well-written account, he provides a unique perspective on leadership during a controversial time for the agency as well as a powerful personal account of his journey as a Forest Service employee and leader. Regardless of your politics or perspective on this time in the Forest Service, I highly recommend this book for its contribution to our understanding of where the agency is today.

Intriguing history of the Forest Service from an insider.