ABSTRACT
The social analysis carried out as a part of Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team pointed out that three aspects of community life are linked to the impacts of timber harvest reduction. These are physical infrastructure, human capital, and a concept labeled "civic responsiveness". On a broader level, one important lesson from the owl controversy is the high cost in terms of political polarization stemming from framing debates about public lands in terms of local versus national interests. In the case of the owl controversy the political equation that has often emerged holds environmental protection as being primarily a matter of national interest and the viability of local economies, cultures, and social systems as reflecting only the local interest. As Charles Wilkinson suggests, to be successful and humane, future resource decision-making should respect cultural and value differences and promote tolerance rather than attempting to “homogenize” groups with attachments to the land.
