A conspiracy of optimism

by Paul W. Hirt

A Conspiracy of Optimism describes the unprecedented controversy now raging over the U.S. Forest Service's management of America's national forests. Focusing on the ideas of "sustained yield," "multiple use," and "intensive management," Paul W. Hirt describes how the first two of these ideas represent the admirable objectives of achieving balance and sustainability in the management of our publicly owned forest lands. However, since the Second World War, neither multiple use nor sustained yield have been effectively implemented. Criticism of the Forest Service has grown since 1945, when demands for commodities accelerated and the agency strove to meet them through its program of intensive management. Although these demands for resources often clashed with "sustainable" limits, the provision of products and services, such as timber and recreation, enhanced the agency's reputation and budget. Confronted with the dual mandate of production and preservation, the agency decided it could ach