Book Review

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to JAH online. About 166 words from this article are provided below; about 327 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the Organization of American Historians, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a member of the Organization of American Historians, you can:: • Join the OAH and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the Journal of American History.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two-hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of American History (86.1-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Journal of American History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

Book Review | The Journal of American History, 86.1 | The History Cooperative

Clearcutting the Pacific Rain Forest: Production, Science, and Regulation. By Richard A. Rajala. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1998. xxiv, 286 pp. $75.00, isbn 0-7748-0590-0.)

The high-lead cold deck is a physically curious device that had a profound impact on the fortunes of early-twentieth-century Pacific Rim lumber companies. At the apex of a single-spar tree ran a series of cables that were anchored to stumps, the whole resembling the skeletal frame of a big top. But there the resemblance stopped. A mainline, attached to the steam-powered skidder at the base, looped through a block atop the tree, then through others around the perimeter of the site, and finally attached to a haulback line, created a complex system that enabled loggers to pull timber partly suspended in the air over long stretches of ground. This technological innovation sped up production, lowered costs, and reduced damage, savings that accelerated the clear-cutting of vast tracts along the west coasts of Canada and the United States. . . .

There are about 327 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.