Eco-arson destroys Boise Cascade building

For Boise Cascade Corp., even an act of terrorism is just a "bump in the road." According to logging manager Mike Hicks, the December 25 fire that destroyed the company's regional headquarters in Monmouth is "no different than any other bump in the road," and it hasn't slowed the company at all.

The group claiming responsibility for the fire is the Earth Liberation Front, which designates itself as unorganized. The group is philosophically aligned with the Animal Liberation Front, whose goals include taking "all necessary precautions against harming any animal, human and non-human." This usually includes destruction of property. Earth Liberation Front has also claimed responsibility for fires in Medford, at the headquarters of the U.S. Forest Industries, and in Vail, Co., at a $12-million ski lodge.

The 25 people who worked at the Monmouth office have relocated to an old company office building in Independence while the company considers whether to rebuild.

Boise Cascade owns 160,500 acres of forest land between Lincoln City and the Willamette Valley.