Special Report No. 04-02: Primer for Forest Environmental Issues: The West

Key environmental issues for the forest industry in the Western United States are reviewed by teams of policy specialists and scientists. These key issues include clearcutting, water quality, forest chemicals, forest health and wildfire, salmon, headwater streams, the northern spotted owl and other endangered species, biodiversity, big game, climate change, and forest conversion. For each of these there is a discussion about the political and economic significance of the issue, our scientific understanding, and remaining research needs.