08/28/2026
A Brief History of Logging in the PNW
Early logging concentrated near rivers and Puget Sound, where enormous old-growth Douglas-fir, Western Red Cedar, and other conifers could be harvested and transported by water. Loggers initially relied on hand tools, oxen, horses, and river drives. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, steam-powered equipment, logging railroads, and increasingly mechanized sawmills allowed timber companies to reach forests farther inland.
The industry grew dramatically during the first half of the 20th century. Timber supported mill towns throughout Washington and Oregon and supplied lumber for expanding cities, railroads, shipbuilding, and the nation's building booms. After World War II, chainsaws, logging trucks, bulldozers, and other machinery largely replaced earlier methods and greatly increased productivity.
By the late 20th century, forestry in the region began changing significantly. Environmental regulations, declining availability of federal old-growth timber, changing markets, and greater emphasis on wildlife, water quality, and sustainable forest management reshaped the industry.
Today, forestry remains an important part of the PNW economy, particularly in rural communities. Modern forestry generally places much greater emphasis on reforestation, long-term timber production, stream and habitat protection, wildfire resilience, and sustainable management. Many forests harvested generations ago are now managed as productive second- and third-growth timberlands.
The historical photos included were found through the Library of Congress online collections.
