page_182 < previous page page_182 next page > Page 182 10 Forest Tenure and Cultural Landscapes: Environmental Histories in the Kickapoo Valley Lynne Heasley and Raymond P. Guries Introduction During the twentieth century, American forests have come to represent more than the biological sum of their trees. They are the material and symbols society wields in its debates over nature, the environment, natural resources, and property (White 1980; Cronon 1991; Langston 1995). Controversy can erupt in an instant over the smallest public school forest or the largest private timber tract, a farmer's woodlot or a national forest, an urban park or a remote wilderness area. Increasingly, we name these wooded places or affix additional labels to them to gain all emotional advantage while vying for public approval or legislative action. Forests are not simply forests but are now "ancient" or "industrial" forests, satisfying ''biodiversity'' or "commodity'" needs. We also label forests "public" or "private" to identify various forms or degrees of ownership. Together these labels can generate considerable anxiety, especially when the state defines or regulates a public interest in private lands, such as endangered species protection, or a private interest in public lands, such as grazing and mineral leases on national forests. Forestsoften the focus of local, regional, and global environmental disputesshow us the historical roots of conflicts over contemporary environmental policy. Competing groups, which fall along an ideological spectrum from Earth First! to the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, This research is part of a long-term collaboration with Keith Rice and Hawthorne Beyer, both of the University of WisconsinStevens Point, and Steve Ventura of the University of WisconsinMadison. We are grateful to Bill Cronon, Don Field, Jess Gilbert, Nancy Langston, and Matt Turner for their thoughtful comments on earlier versions of this chapter. We also thank Matt Dahlen, Ben Gramling, and Mike Stanek for field assistance over two summers. Finally, we owe a special thanks to Jim Dalton, Judy Gates, Phil Hahn, Jeff Hastings, Jim Radke, and Sandra Vold-Brudos, without whose support, expertise, and generosity our research in the Kickapoo Valley would not be possible. Support for this research was provided by the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program and the School of Natural Resources, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of WisconsinMadison. Â < previous page page_182 next page >