Four companies of loggers risk their lives to chop down timber while dealing with mechanical failures, brutal weather and rugged terrain in the Pacific Northwest.

J.M. Browning strives to meet a big deadline; Stump Branch Logging tempts fate by jury-rigging old equipment; Gustafson races the weather to build an access road; Pihl Logging hauls in the forest's cash crop.

The loggers race to stay one step ahead of a storm approaching the Oregon coast; Jesse pushes his crew to meet their deadline; muddy roads trap Stump Branch trucks; Robby battles for control; lumber market slump.

Some crews shut down while others struggle to stay afloat after stormy weather arrives with a vengeance; the stalled housing market hits home for the loggers.

The news of upcoming layoffs worries the men; Gustafson Logging tries to get back on track; Browning races to meet a big deadline; Pihl Logging is under pressure to finish its Pig Farm job.

Jay Browning Logging, usually flush with lucrative deals, is forced to make tough decisions. Why are the logging giants falling and the smaller outfits winning business?