"Tasmania's old-growth forests, its wild, untamed rivers and its remote, rugged mountain peaks are etched in the minds of most Australians but these wilderness areas have been the focus of bitter conflict between government, big business and environmentalists for the past 30 years. Although told mostly from an environmentalist's point of view, this book is a factual record of events. Beginning in the 1970s with the flooding of Lake Pedder, it takes the reader through the heady days of the Franklin River blockade and the more recent battles for Tasmania's old-growth forests, culminating with the controversial proposal for the Gunns pulp mill in the Tamar Valley. Unfolding events reveal something of how politics is done in the island state and why a climate of suspicion and mistrust persists among the various interest groups. These battles also have had ramifications for the whole of Australia. They have played a defining part in the shaping of the Green party as well as The Wilderness Society and The Australian Conservation Foundation. Never before has Tasmania been examined through the prism of conflicting values over wilderness. This approach shows what influence this single issue has had upon Tasmania's recent history."--Provided by publisher.

For decades, the Tasmanian wilderness has been the site of bitter struggle. Sawmillers and police face off with protestors deep in the forest, while political games are played in the courts and parliaments. At stake is the future of old-growth forests, of the logging industry - and of the people on both sides, deeply divided by years of suspicion.

Winner, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards 2011 Winner, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2011 For many years, the Tasmanian wilderness has been the site of a fierce struggle. At stake is the future of old-growth forests. Loggers and police face off with protesters deep in the forest, while savage political games are played in the courts and parliaments. In Into the Woods, Anna Krien, armed with a notebook, a sleeping bag and a rusty sedan, ventures behind the battlelines to see what it is like to risk everything for a cause. She speaks to ferals and premiers, sawmillers and whistle-blowers. She investigates personalities and convictions, methods and motives. This is a book about a company that wanted its way and the resistance that eventually forced it to change. Updated with a new afterword, Into the Woods is intimate, intrepid reporting by a fearless new voice. ‘Anna Krien’s intimate, urgent book pulsates with life and truth.’ — Chloe Hooper ‘Anna Krien is Australia’s young, female Hunter S. Thompson.’ — Amanda Lohrey