Recently found an old (1955) Louis L’Amour novel I hadn’t read yet. w00t
In this tale, the good guy is Clay Bell, a would-be rancher who has bought up the entrances to a lovely high valley filled with old-growth timber and grass. He aims to fatten his beef on this grass and sell to the army. But that was before Jud Dewitt came to town. Jud is the bad guy. He’s here to clear-cut the forest and leave with his profits, and he doesn’t care if he gets his wood legally or not. In fact, he already has a man in Washington to stall Bell’s claims.
Unfortunately, Jud doesn’t know that Bell already sent his own lawyer to Washington. He also doesn’t count on Bell’s determination to save the timberlands, or on the loyalty of Bell’s men. When Jud sets his lumberjacks on two of the hands, killing one, the war is on.
This is typical Louis L’Amour: two tough bulls fighting it out, a beautiful woman in the background trying to decide which she should choose, and a moral for the ending. If you enjoy this sort of Western story, Guns of the Timberlands will suit you perfectly.