Gene is on the trail of Forest Ranger Charles Carter, suspected of allowing lumberman Henry Mitchell to cut restricted timber. Gene mistakenly kills Carter while shooting at a mountain lion, but it was actually Carter's assistant Bill Wright who killed him to conceal the discovery of a tussock moth infestation that would have ruined Mitchell's profits. Gene sells his camp to compensate Carter's daughter and later discovers the infestation, leading him to oversee the spraying of the area with DDT. However, the stockmen blame the dead animals on the spraying program, and Gene suspects a mysterious plane is responsible. He confronts Mitchell, who is revealed to be behind the sabotage.
Riders of the Whistling Pines
Outlaws Henry, Bill, and Pete ravage the timberland, but their reign of terror is disrupted by Gene's sudden arrival. However, the trio turns the tables by falsely accusing Gene of cattle poisoning and setting him up for a murder he didn't commit.
