Cultivating Trust in the Face of Crisis: Science as Moderator in Collaborative Forest Management

Conflict over resources and often-ensuing political gridlock present a profound threat to local communities and to the broader sustainability of ecologies within which they are embedded. The American west has experienced drastic shifts in its approach to forests since the timber industry and environmental movement’s protracted clash dubbed the ‘timber wars.’ In the shadow of conflict and in the face of increasingly devastating fire seasons, collaborative forest management (CFM) offers an arduous but viable path forward. This paper examines a successful case of CFM in Oregon, USA—a partnership of once-feuding enemies that has navigated ecological and political crisis. The case study draws on data collected through rapid-ethnography and in-depth interviews with partnership members and other stakeholders. The study unpacks the science-led governance model and collaborative culture that has resulted in the restoration of thousands of acres of forest, advanced scientific understanding, and supported job growth in rural communities. The paper argues the importance of meso-level governance systems that build civic and scientific capacity to address shifting conditions, and crises, into the future.