Book excerpt: When Ian Mahood began his work for forestry magnate H.R. MacMillan in the 1950s, forest management was something less than a science. Mahood's pioneer silviculture methods were instrumental in changing the forest industry's approach to harvesting and crop management. From his early days of working as a sparkchaser on railway logging in the 1930s to stints as a Chief Executive Officer for top Canadian and international forest companies, Ian Mahood was a close inside observer of the forest industry. Now he brings his expertise to this biting indictment of a forest management policy gone astray. His story, a detailed examination of the industry spiced with personal anecdotes and incisive observations, questions the logic of the controversial Tree Farm Licence system.