While some of the historical events we recount have been largely forgotten by the public and largely unexamined by scholars, they reflect an understanding of larger power dynamics that goes beyond the practice of sustained-yield and multiple-use forestry to touch upon important themes in the province's social and cultural history—themes still relevant today.

?from the Introduction

In The Sustainability Dilemma, historians Robert Griffin and Richard A. Rajala delve into two of the more controversial issues British Columbians have faced over the past 60 years—the management of our forest industry and its impact on our freshwater ecosystems. Well-illustrated with black-and-white and colour photographs, this book looks closely at some of the key players and issues of the time—from E.C. Manning, C.D. Orchard and the proposal and implementation of sustained-yield policies in the 1930s and 1940s to Ray Williston, Jim Hart and two fish-forestry conflicts that captured province-wide attention in the 1960s and 1970s.