# Timber Wars

Timber Wars is a seven-part podcast hosted by Aaron Scott and produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

## Background

The show was produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The show discusses the conservation movement that took place in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. The show discusses the complicated conflict between environmentalists and loggers that occurred during the period known as the timber wars. The show discusses the history of logging and how forests were viewed as potential tree farms. Forester and dendrologists wanted to study and preserve old-growth forests, but were viewed negatively until the 1990s when large environmental protests began. At the same time, wildlife conservation for animals like the northern spotted owl became an issue. The show discusses a twenty-five year period of forestry and forest management. Aaron Scott is the host of the show—he grew up in Steamboat, Oregon not too far away from where the events of the show took place.

## Episodes
### Introductory episode

| Title | Running time | Original release date |
| "Timber Wars Trailer" | 1:54 | August 28, 2020 (2020-08-28) |

### Season 1

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| 1 | "The Last Stand" | 30:37 | September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22) |
| 2 | "The Ancient Forest" | 32:37 | September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22) |
| 3 | "The Owl" | 33:10 | September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22) |
| 4 | "Mill City" | 33:03 | September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22) |
| 5 | "The Plan" | 38:05 | September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22) |
| 6 | "The Backlash" | 33:15 | September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22) |
| 7 | "A Way Forward" | 38:26 | October 3, 2020 (2020-10-03) |
| Bonus–Episode | "Big Money Bought the Forest" | 35:33 | November 17, 2020 (2020-11-17) |
| Guest–Episode | "Grouse" | 19:02 | November 21, 2020 (2020-11-21) |
| This bonus episode is from the podcast called "Grouse" ||||
| Guest–Episode | "How to Save a Planet" | 60:27 | June 1, 2021 (2021-06-01) |
| This bonus episode is from the podcast called "How to Save a Planet" ||||
| Bonus–Episode | "Wildfire" | 43:47 | January 28, 2021 (2021-01-28) |
| Bonus–Episode | "The Woman Who Would Talk to Trees" | 59:08 | May 28, 2021 (2021-05-28) |
| This episode features an interview with Suzanne Simard about the Social World of Trees ||||

## Reception

Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times commented on the show saying that "Listeners are left with both an appreciation of the magnificence of old growth forests and the toll paid by logging communities when those forests were protected. Environmentalists and loggers don't agree on much, but I think they will concur that 'Timber Wars' is fair and brilliant journalism."

### Awards

| Award | Date | Category | Result |
| National Headliner Awards | 2021 | Narrative Podcast | 1 |
| MIT Knight Science Journalism Program's Victor K. McElheny Award | 2021 | Local and Regional Science Journalism for Episode 1: The Last Stand and Episode 2: The Ancient Forest | Won |
| Society of Professional Journalism Awards | 2021 | Audio: Series—Large Newsroom Division | 1 |
| Society of Professional Journalism Awards | 2021 | Audio: Feature, Hard News—Large Newsroom Division for Episode 3: The Owl | 1 |
| Scripps Howard Awards | 2020 | Excellence in Environmental Reporting | Finalist |