The forest defense movement, 1980--2005: Resistance at the point of extraction, consumption, and production

This dissertation explores the history of the direct action forest defense movement of North America. This "action arm" of the environmental movement emerged a quarter century ago attempting to combat the destruction of the nation's ancient forests and wild places. Despite governmental repression and corporate funded legislative attempts to curb protest activity, this seldom studied movement has remained the last line of defense for protecting the nation's forest ecosystems, shaping the form and frequency of radical environmental protest in the US. I draw attention to this neglected ecological resistance movement recounting its history, development and transformation from a movement exclusively focused on biocentrism, to one that has taken the lead in incorporating issues of social and ecological justice. I show how this movement, considered by many only a footnote in environmental history, has played the central role in transforming the landscape of environmental protest in the US. I argue that this development is best understood in the context of the strategic repertoires it employs: direct action at the point of extraction; point of consumption; and at the point of production. I analyze this development combining a reconstruction of major events with a detailed case study of innovative mobilizations. A protest event analysis was conducted to systematically map, analyze and interpret the frequency and characteristics of forest defense actions, and to reveal shifts and transformations in the movement's overall strategic repertoire. Protest data was drawn from major activist journals and news sources over a twenty-five year period to quantify a number of protest properties: type of tactic; frequency of actions; duration of protest activity; location; issues; targets; and state repression. Specific attention is given to three transformative cases that highlight the shift in movement strategy and tactics, and the corresponding shift in the movement's social and ecological analysis. This transformation, and the cultural, political, and economic factors that have aided this process are explored throughout.