"Bull of the Woods" was the title given to the boss of a logging operation. In this case, it is given to the Roosevelt Bull Elk grazing in a managed forest. This painting was inspired by a similar scene, witnessed by the artist, southwest of Loon Lake in the Coast Range Mountains of Oregon. Much of the area was clearcut in the early to mid-1900s. The new forest had been pre-commercially thinned as evidenced by the remains of small cut trees lying on the ground. The present stand of trees is ready for a selective thinning - allowing more room for the remaining trees to develop. Trees from the selective thinning have commercial value and will be processed at a mill.
After a period of additional growth and possibly more thinnings, this Douglas Fir forest will be ready for clearcutting, then planting - completing another life cycle in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.