Birth of a Cooperative: Hoedads, Inc., a Worker Owned Forest Labor Co-Op

Being a owner/worker in a cooperative business is already more of a committment then just having a day job. The Hoedads tree-planting cooperative is a business where the workers must camp out on, or near, the job-site miles from civilization during the majority of the 6-8 month planting season. With the combination of labor intensive work in awesome natural settings scarred by logging, and long weeks or months of roughing it in somewhat primitive base camps, the coop members become a family with many stories to share. My rather limited experience of being a member for three years added to my enjoyment of the book. The author includes details about early years when the work done on the slopes was matched or exceeded by the efforts that went into creating the worker owned company. In time Hoedads became an entity that was to command respect among the counter-culture community within which it grew to prosper even in a very depressed economical climate. From adventure and business as well as social viewpoints this book would appeal to anyone with an inkling of pioneer spirit