Logger Perceptions of Seasonal Environmental Challenges Facing Timber Operations in the Upper Midwest, USA

Abstract

Loggers and other natural-resource-dependent workers are impacted by variable environmental conditions. This research shares logger perceptions of the impacts of seasonal environmental factors on their operations, which are important for informing forest management and policy. We conducted in-depth interviews with 17 professional loggers and 15 other forestry stakeholders to assess the challenges faced in forest operations in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We analyzed interviews and documents to create one representative seasonal calendar, which shows the multiple, overlapping factors affecting timber operations. Many loggers identified impacts from seasonal variability and restrictions related to transportation, environmental conditions, and recreation. Seasonal environmental challenges are intertwined with and inseparable from economic challenges. Spring break-up used to be the time for rest, but increasingly, loggers do not stop working because of financial pressures to continue logging. Understanding the seasonal dynamics of timber operations can inform forest policies and climate change adaptation strategies.