Part 1: The Latine Forestry Workforce with Dr. E.J. Davis

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges faced by Latine forestry workers in the Pacific Northwest and the need for equitable treatment in their labor conditions.

We all hear a lot about the need to significantly scale up our forest adaptation and resilience work—that is, thinning, replanting, prescribed burning and other tasks that are essential in preparing for and recovering from wildfire. But what's often lost in this conversation is *who* is doing this work, and the future of that—at times, fraught—workforce in the face of increasing ecosystem needs in the West. It's one thing to say we need to get something done, but another thing entirely to know where that work is coming from, and how those workers are being treated. How can we ensure these folks are supported and being treated equitably in often unsafe, fast-paced and high-exposure jobs? In the Pacific Northwest, a not-insignificant portion of forestry sector workers are Latine, many on H2B visas, which are temporary, non-agricultural working visas. Today's guest Emily Jane (E.J) Davis—along with co-authors Carl Wilmse, Manuel Machado and Gianna Alessi—aimed to learn more about these workers in a paper published in 2023 called Multiple Stories, Multiple Marginalities: The Labor Intensive Forest and Fire Stewardship Workforce in Oregon (link in episode notes). What they found is…

People in this episode

Host: Amanda Monthei

Guest: Dr. E.J. Davis

Topics covered

• forestry workforce
• Latine workers
• wildfire adaptation
• labor practices
• equity in employment
• forest stewardship

Keywords

• forestry
• Latine workforce
• wildfire
• labor rights
• H2B visas
• forest adaptation
• working conditions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Multiple Stories, Multiple Marginalities

Places: Pacific Northwest

More episodes of Life with Fire

• Bringing Wildfire Public Information Into the Modern Era with Noah Baker · May 19, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Latine Forestry Workforce Part 3 (Spanish Version): La Fuerza Laboral Latine en el Sector Forestal y Por Qué la Solidaridad es Importante con Manuel Machado · March 19, 2026 · 20 min
• Part 2: The Latine Forestry Workforce and Why Solidarity Matters with Manuel Machado (and Guest Host Gaby Eseverri) · February 25, 2026 · 27 min
• Braiding The Personal with the Ecological, with HOTSHOT Author River Selby · October 17, 2025 · 1h 9m
• The Intricacies of Hotshot Culture, with Wildfire Days author Kelly Ramsey · August 7, 2025 · 1h 26m
• The Social Contract of Managing Fire with Stephen Pyne · July 17, 2025 · 45 min