The viability of rural logging communities in the Northwest is threatened. Even with sustainable forest management, financial and technological changes are decreasing the employment opportunities in rural communities. The contribution of the logging industry to local economies has been decreasing due to timber competition from other regions, technological change, and the spotted owl controversy. This study reports on the attitudes of people involved in the economic development of the rural Northwest who attended regional economic development conferences held in 1991 and 1992. The participants at each conference rated the economic situation of the region as poor, and primarily blamed federal regulations for their current economic problems. They recognized the need to develop a diversified rural economy and believed the region's greatest economic assets were its environmental quality and quality of life. Attendance at the first regional economic development conference resulted in short-term improvement in attitudes about the future of the rural areas.
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