Ground Zero In Timber Wars Shows Signs Of Peace

"It's right before our eyes," said King. "These forests built our courthouses, our schools, our homes. We have that responsibility to make it sustainable."

The stakes are high. Last year he spent $6 million in two weeks putting out a fire that burned through 1,000 acres. Before he took over, the Biscuit fire burned through 500,000 acres in 2002 and cost more than $150 million to put out.

King views the decades of conflict between tree sitters and loggers as a necessary stage before this move toward resolution could happen.

"Without that energy level, without that passion and caring, we can't do this," he said.

The Obama administration has not strongly signaled where it intends to point forest policy, though it has called a time-out on the Bush administration's efforts to log and mine in untouched parts of national forests known as roadless areas. It is also reviewing whether to defend in court a plan to ramp up logging in western Oregon.

Longtime observers of national forest policy, like Takilma resident Mark Kelz, are used to big swings in forest policy, but looking forward to some consistency.