Fate of Oregon’s timber industry hangs in the balance

But the wildfires halted work again and raised new fears.

Deumling of Zena, which operates 40 miles from the Beachie Creek Fire, said in a Sept. 15 blog post that “his nerves have been on edge.” “I have not left our forest in almost two weeks, double checking our firetruck and watching and waiting, ready to deal with a potential fire start,” he said.

So far, the company says it has been spared major disruption or damage. Sarah Deumling, co-owner of Zena, says she hopes the fires will renew a focus on sustainable forestry practices.