Book Description

Forested wetlands are a major component of northern landscapes, important both for their ecological functions and their socioeconomic values. Historically, these lands have been used for timber and fiber products, hunting, fishing, trapping, food gathering, and recreation. There are many questions about the use and management of these lands in the future, particularly with respect to forest products, hydrology and water quality, plant and wildlife ecology, landscape dynamics, and wetland restoration. Northern Forested Wetlands: Ecology and Management provides a synthesis of current research and literature. It examines the status, distribution, and use of these wetland resources. The book focuses on understanding the role of wetlands in the landscape and on how to manage these wetlands and sustain their important functions. This is a primary reference text for the study and management of northern forested wetlands, providing a forum for information discovered by researchers and managers from many nations. ... Read more

Book Description

The U.S. Forest Service celebrates its centennial in 2005. With a new preface by the author, this edition of Harold K. Steen’s classic history (originally published in 1976) provides a broad perspective on the Service’s administrative and policy controversies and successes. Steen updates the book with discussions of a number of recent concerns, among them the spotted owl issue; wilderness and roadless areas; new research on habitat, biodiversity, and fire prevention; below-cost timber sales; and workplace diversity in a male-oriented field. ... Read more

Book Description

The first field guide to all of Vermont's natural communities. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

If you love Vermont--understand it
As a resident of Vermont, I found this book to be one of the definitive works about Vermont's natural habitat. It is quite the eyeopener. The interactions of all the natural wonders of the state are completely explained, as well as the definitions of the specific ecosystems found everywhere. With this book I was able to map vernal pools, hemlock swamps and other sensitive habitats around me. Absolutely invaluable.

taking the next step
I came to this book as a relative beginner in nature observation, I could pick out the major tree species, but not much more than that. This guide was of tremendous help to me in learning to see relationships between tree types and the soil, exposeur, water, and other plants. The text is focused on Vermont, but I found it very helpful in New Hampshire, and I am sure it would be useful in Maine and New York as well as some of the Great Lakes areas. It is also very beautiful to look at, though some what difficult to read straight through from cover to cover. Take it with you on a hike, or during fly season look at it when you get back.

I hope there are or will be additional books of this type for other areas of the country / world. The authors and artist have set a high standard. ... Read more

Book Description

"Agee examines in depth the issues in the ecological context and history of fire, wild and human. He sheds considerable light on this most important topic. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of the ecological and management issues related to fire in the forests.

-International Journal of Forestr.

The structure of most virgin forests in the western United States reflects a past disturbance history that includes forest fire. James K. Agee, an expert in the emerging field of fire ecology, analyzes the ecological role of fire in the creation and maintenance of natural western forests, focusing primarily on forest stand development patterns. His discussion of the natural fire environment and the environmental effects of fire is applicable to a wide range of temperate forests. ... Read more

Book Description

Recent awareness of global deforestation and its impact on the environment and economic development have compelled policymakers to critically examine the reasons behind these phenomena and find ways and means to promote sustainable forest management principles and policies. The contributors analyze these critical issues in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This book provides new methods of analysis by introducing new techniques to explore the changes in climatic cycles, the implications of wide-scale pollution, fire and other ecological disturbances that have a global effect on all life forms. It provides the reader with almost 40 percent new material in an attempt to organize principles and provide examples for expanding the horizon of ecosystem analyses. It also defines terms and explains concepts in a variety of ways by providing models, equations, graphs, and tabular examples. To help facilitate analysis, the book includes a CD-ROM with additional illustrations and Forest BGC software.

* Additional coverage of regional and global scaling issues
* New chapters on ecosystem modeling, remote sensing and monitoring of atmospheric chemistry added
* Includes a CD-ROM with additional illustrations and Forest BGC Software ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This book is very badly written
My graduate Forest Ecosystems class was burdened with this textbook as the main class reading material. Not only was this book badly written, but even the professor was frustrated with the terseness of the material. My opinion is that if this is a textbook, one should not need a PhD to read and understand it. Unfortunately however, the authors assume that either you already know everything there is to know about the subjects that they are trying to explain, or that you have read all of the papers that they have ever published and are familiar with their work (from which they draw most of the examples of the book). In summary, if you want a good textbook about forest ecosystems, you will have to look elsewhere. ... Read more

Book Description

Shaped by fire for thousands of years, the forests of the western United States are as adapted to periodic fires as they are to the region's soils and climate. Our widespread practice of ignoring the vital role of fire is costly in both ecological and economic terms, with consequences including the decline of important fire-dependent tree and undergrowth species, increasing density and stagnation of forests, epidemics of insects and diseases, and the high potential for severe wildfires.

Flames in Our Forest explains those problems and presents viable solutions to them. It explores the underlying historical and ecological reasons for the problems associated with our attempts to exclude fire and examines how some of the benefits of natural fire can be restored Chapters consider:

• the history of American perceptions and uses of fire in the forest
• how forest fires burn
• effects of fire on the soil, water, and air
• methods for uncovering the history and effects of past fires
• prescribed fire and fuel treatments for different zones in the landscape

Flames in Our Forest presents a new picture of the role of fire in maintaining forests, describes the options available for restoring the historical effects of fires, and considers the implications of not doing so. It will help readers appreciate the importance of fire in forests and gives a nontechnical overview of the scientific knowledge and tools available for sustaining western forests by mimicking and restoring the effects of natural fire regimes. ... Read more

Book Description

This text considers forest insects occurring in forest ecosystems, specialized forestry settings, and urban forests, with an approach and coverage that make it suitable for use in both undergraduate and graduate courses in forest entomology and forest protection. Early chapters introduce entomology, middle chapters provide the first comprehensive treatment of the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of forest insects, and later chapters discuss the pest insects according to their feeding group. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent book
Forest Health and Protection is an excellent book which include an actual vision the three aspects very important in forest ecosystems. It is a contribution in the forest protection. ... Read more

Book Description

The key to successful timber management is a properunderstanding of growth processes, and one of the objectives ofmodelling forest development is to provide the tools that enableforesters to compare alternative silvicultural treatments. In amanaged woodland, the most important periodic disturbances are thethinning operations, which are often carried out at regular intervalsand which usually have a significant effect on the future evolution ofthe resource. Thus, a realistic model of forest development includesboth natural growth and thinnings. One of the outstanding features ofthis book is its inclusion of thinning models at varying levels ofresolution and consideration of differences in foresters' tree markingbehaviour. Other interesting aspects include regional resourceforecasting approaches, generalized stem taper functions, generalizeddiameter-height relations, new ways of describing andreproducing forest spatial structures, crown modelling and iterativecompetition modelling. Worked examples and code are provided whereappropriate. The intended readership is graduate students. ... Read more

Book Description

Perfect for the first course in Forest Economics, this text emphasizes economics as a way of thinking in which added costs and benefits of action are compared in order to maximize net benefits. Geared for those students with an economic background (microeconomics preferred), Klemperer has focused on solving basic economic problems forestry analysts encounter, as well as discussing enough economic theory to understand the solutions.Because of that, the basics in capital theory are interwoven and students learn how to evaluate forestry investments in a way which embraces important environmental factors. ... Read more

Book Description

This book fills a gap in the current literature by bringing water resources and the forest-water relation into a single volume. The text broadly discusses common issues on water resource and forest-water relation and serves as an introduction to forest hydrology. Forest Hydrology: An Introduction to Water and Forests covers issues on water, forests, the water-forest relation, watershed research, and hydrologic measurements, and provides state-of-the-art knowledge on the impact of forests to the hydrologic environment. It emphasizes concepts and general principles within these two natural resources, and details the processes of hydrologic components in forested areas. The extensive review of forest impacts on the hydrologic cycle and stream environment contained here provides state-of-the-science information for land and water resource managers, administrators, planners, practitioners, and concerned citizens.The text supplies students, researchers, and hydrology professionals with sufficient background to study forest hydrology, conduct watershed research, and make hydrologic observations without previous exposure to the subject. With its comprehensive coverage and an extensive bibliography, Forest Hydrology provides you with the necessary knowledge and foundation for managing water resources in forested areas under a variety of environmental conditions. ... Read more

Book Description

Across the United States, people are developing new relationships with the forest ecosystems on which they depend, with a common goal of improving the health of the land and the well-being of their communities. Practitioners and supporters of what has come to be called community forestry are challenging current approaches to forest management as they seek to end the historical disfranchisement of communities and workers from forest management and the all-too-pervasive trends of long-term disinvestment in ecosystems and human communities that have undermined the health of both.

Community Forestry in the United States is an analytically rigorous and historically informed assessment of this new movement. It examines the current state of community forestry through a grounded assessment of where it stands now and where it might go in the future. The book not only clarifies the state of the movement, but also suggests a trajectory and process for its continued development. ... Read more

Book Description

“From my back window the forest rose in a wall of green, every possible shade, as if the whole spectrum were made from one color...”

So begins Thor Hanson’s remarkable journey into the heart of Africa. Lying in the remote hills of southwest Uganda, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest harbors elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys, and half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas. For two years Hanson called the forest home, working with local guides and trackers to develop a gorilla tourism program in the newly formed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Thoroughly researched and beautifully told, Hanson’s story blends natural history with cultural insight to place the forest and the gorillas in the context of modern Africa. He writes of “the inseparable weave of people and landscape,” and how in Uganda, the survival of either depends upon the survival of both. At once humorous, revealing and poignant, The Impenetrable Forest offers a rare and unforgettable glimpse into the world of mountain gorillas and the human cultures that surround them.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to help protect and preserve mountain gorillas in the wild.

“fascinating…very well written.”—Gorilla Journal

Reviews (6)

A Great Read About Mountain Gorillas and Life in Uganda
This is a great book. Written in a clear, easy-to-read style the author does a great job of weaving together descriptions of the mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park with descriptions of the Uganda people and their culture, the politics and history of the country and other aspects of his experiences there. If you are looking for a book with detailed, scientifically-oriented analysis of the mountain gorillas, this is not the book for you, nor is this the book for you if you are looking for great color photographs of the animals and the country (he only has black and white photos of so-so quality). But, if what you are looking for is a book that allows you to learn about a variety of aspects of life in Uganda, its people and the gorillas this is a great choice. It would be the perfect book to read prior to a trip to the region to see the park and its gorilla population.

A fantastic pre-Uganda trip read
Thumbs up to Thor Hanson on an excellent book for people who have traveled to rural Africa, and a MUST read for anyone planning a visit to the Bwindi forest. Hanson's descriptions on the Ugandan people, landscape, food, and adventure, fit the country perfectly. Read the book, then take a trip to the Bwindi forest where you can visit the entire cast of characters including Phenny, Levi, Medad and more. In Africa, all things change slowly, and Buhoma is much they same as it was in 1995.

Entertainingly Educational
I got this book when I went home for the holidays. I finished it before I got home. I'm now reading it for a second time.
I would say it is equally about (1) humorous human interactions, (2) learning about the mountain gorillas, and (3) modern day African culture.
This isn't a book for scientist, rather a book for everyday readers that want to learn something about Africa, gorillas, and want to be entertained in the process.

The Impenetrable Forest
What a truly delightful book! Mr. Hanson eloquently combines his often hilarious experience as a "muzungu" (white person) with a poignent revealing view of life in Uganda amidst the post Idi Amin era. Nestled between this rapidly changing Ugandan landscape exist the Gorillas. It was a real trill to be able to plod along on adventures that not only reveal a glimspe of gorillas but also a glimpse of ourselves.

Disappointed.
I was really disappointed with this book--and returned it unread--because of the really poor quality of the photos. They looked like they had been scanned in at a very low resolution and, hence, were so grainy you could not make out the details. A real oversight on the part of the editor! ... Read more

Book Description

This book is intended for use as a text in International Forestry and for reference purposes for students of forestry, range management, and other fields of natural-resource management. Laarman/Sedjo explain cross country patterns of international trade in forest products, evaluate issues linking forests to the biosphere, and the management of forests and wildlands in the global context. ... Read more

Book Description

Fire is a fearsome constant in the America West. Everyone who lives in the West confronts fire intimately or frighteningly at some time. As the author David J. Strohmaier notes, "Whether we have tended a campfire along Oregon's Deschutes River in March, engaged the advancing front of a Great Basin wildfire in the torrid heat of August, or watched fire settle into the subdued, smoldering leaf piles of October, all of our lives, to one degree or another, are bracketed by fire." In The Seasons of Fire, Strohmaier effectively blends nature writing, personal essay, and philosophical analysis as he deliberately crosses disciplinary boundaries. He discusses the "moral" dimensions of fire-not only whether fires are good, bad or indifferent phenomena, but also how fire, more generally understood, shapes meaning for human life. The consequences of discussing the moral side of fire speak directly to the contours of the human soul, and to our sense of our place on the land.!Strohmaier, a long-term firefighter himself, includes accurate and sometimes gut-wrenching descriptions of the firefighter's experience, including the philosophical wanderings and the downright boredom that may dominate between direct confrontations with the searing, terrifying flames. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A masterful portrait
Dave Strohmaier masterfully paints us a portrait of wildfire in the West, drawing from a palette of sensitivity to the earth, gritty practical experience, humor, and skilled writing craft. He calls attention to the beauty of many elements of nature we take for granted, its paradoxes, and draws complex associations between these and wildfire. This book is not a primer on how wildfires are fought. It is a loving and thorough philosophical exploration of the meaning of fire, nature, and humanity.

Hot Damn!
Seasons of Fire by David J. Strohmaier is a superbly written, artistic, and thought-provoking novel on humankind's relationship to fire. Like the author, I too have "engaged" the fires of summer,which stirred deep, ontological questions about human evolution's debt to fire. The author expresses such ideas in a free-flowing narrative that bursts with imagery. Deep yet accesible (I will admit to using the dictionary at least once every 50 pages, but I admire an author who can skillfully use words that I should know, but don't).

To ape the vernacular of Hollywood producers, "it's like Edward Abbey meets Garrison Keillor!" David J. Strohmaier provides beatific explorations of philosophical questions with a smooth, down-home panache. I have never had the pleasure of attacking a fire with gunny sacks, but the author makes me wish I had:

"There is pleasure in completing little tasks--sweating your way up a hill to the flank of a fire under the sun and open sky of mid-July, then, in the company of several others, swatting out flames until either you smother all movement, or cool, moist night air tucks the fire in for the evening. This genuine satisfaction does not abdicate you from the responsibility of asking why you are doing what you are doing, and why it is meaningful. And of all the seasons of the year, summer, the summer of fire, is when these questions are cured."

Descriptions of a bygone Halloween when the author dressed as Satan himself, dancing around a fire, made me laugh out loud. A truly provocative and enjoyable book. I look forward to his next work.

The Seasons of Fire : Reflections on Fire in the West
Strohmaier captures the essense of what calls people from all walks of life to a world of flames and wild places.
As a veteran wildland firefighter for over 24 years,
it was a joy to read about the spirit that exist within every wildland firefighter. If you want to understand the
essentials of what motivates wildland firefighters, read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Developed by the pioneering landscape design firm of Andropogon Associates, world-renowned for their innovative approach to integrating environmental protection and restoration with landscape architecture and design, The Once and Future Forest is a guidebook for restoring and managing natural landscapes. Focusing on remnant forest systems, it describes methods of restoring and linking forest fragments to recreate a whole landscape fabric.

The book begins by explaining the history and current situation of forest ecosystems in the eastern United States. Following that is an in-depth examination of the restoration process, with thorough descriptions of ecological strategies for landscape management along with specific examples of how those strategies have been implemented in various sites around the country. The final section provides hands-on information about the many specific details that must be considered when initiating and implementing a restoration program. All aspects of the restoration process are considered, including:

Book Description

Wood-destroying fungi play an important role in nature, because they are the only forms of life capable of reducing wood to its initial constituents. However, they can also be dangerous for people and property, as they can impair the stability and fracture-safety of trees. This book gives detailed information, based on new and original scientific findings, on the examination and effects of the most important species of fungi associated with failure of infected urban trees. In addition, new ways are presented for predicting the advance of decay in the living tree. The subject is illustrated and made easily accessible by numerous colored photos of fungus fruit bodies, defect symptoms, and macroscopic and microscopic pictures of wood decay. A detailed introduction to the fundamentals of wood pathology provides a way into the subjects of applied mycology and tree-care for readers without previous special knowledge. ... Read more