Trees Are Where You Find Them

In the shadow of the Siskiyou National Forest, a tight‑knit crew of timber‑workers gathers each Saturday at the Ivy picture house, half‑laughing at a sci‑fi reel that shows explorers marveling at trees on Mars. Old Doc Yoris, a reclusive healer with a sharp eye for the odd, can’t help but chuckle at the impossible foliage, while the gruff but good‑hearted Rusty and his buddy Lew try to make sense of the spectacle. Their banter is interrupted by the arrival of Burt Holden, a newcomer from Grants Pass whose expanding lumber mill threatens to swallow the small operators who have long tended the forest’s edge.

As the evening drifts into the Owl Tavern, the conversation turns to real‑world stakes: the price of timber, the encroaching corporate interests, and the stubborn resolve of men like Doc who would rather keep a hundred‑plus acres of virgin stand untouched. The story captures the humor, camaraderie, and quiet defiance of a community caught between tradition and the relentless push of progress.