The decline of the Northern Spotted Owl became a significant issue in the Pacific Northwest during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This led to the implementation of a preservation policy and the cessation of old growth timber harvests in Western Washington. This study examines the economic and social effects of the cessation of old growth timber harvests. Seemingly unrelated regression was used to analyze the relationships between crime, local economic conditions, and old growth timber harvests. The empirical evidence suggests that local economic conditions significantly influence crime, while decreasing old growth timber harvests have substantial depressing effect on local economic conditions. This suggests that the cessation of old growth timber harvests in Western Washington may have increased crime.