Book Description

Focusing on the tree species Nothofagus, or southern beech, ecologists and biogeographers here provide a comprehensive examination of the distribution, history, and ecology of this species that predominates in forests from highland New Guinea at the equator to the subantarctic latitudes of Tierra del Fuego. The Nothofagus genus offers a fascinating key to understanding historical plant geography and modern vegetation patterns. ... Read more

Book Description

While tropical forests are being cleared at an alarming rate, the clearing is rarely complete and is often not permanent. A considerable amount of tropical forest exists as remnants that have significant value both for the conservation of biological diversity and for meeting the needs of local people.

This volume brings together world-renowned scientists and conservationists to address the biological and socio-economic value of forest remnants and to examine practical efforts to conserve those remnants. An outgrowth of a year-long study by the policy program at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Forest Patches in Tropical Landscapes provides a broad overview of theory and practice, and will help foster both interdisciplinary research and more effective approaches to tropical conservation and development. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Forest fragments in a context
This is an excellent collection of distinct approaches to the forest fragmentation process in tropical landscapes. These approaches include social economical and environmental aspects well based on case studies andscientific data. With one publication it's possible to analyze severalpoints of view and draw an image of the tropical forest's situation. ... Read more

Book Description

Over the past three hundred years New England's landscape has been transformed. The forests were cleared; the land was farmed intensively through the mid-nineteenth century and then was allowed to reforest naturally as agriculture shifted west. Today, in many ways the region is more natural than at any time since the American Revolution. This fascinating natural history is essential background for anyone interested in New England's ecology, wildlife, or landscape. In New England Forests through Time these historical and environmental lessons are told through the world-renowned dioramas in Harvard's Fisher Museum. These remarkable models have introduced New England's landscape to countless visitors and have appeared in many ecology, forestry, and natural history texts. This first book based on the dioramas conveys the phenomenal history of the land, the beauty of the models, and new insights into nature. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Long-term View of Cultural and Natural History
This book is the result of a three-way collaboration between a scientist, a philanthropist and artist dedicated to producing a diorama depicting 300 years of New England's natural and cultural history.

The work, started in the late 1920, captures the essence of the Harvard Forest approach to environmental science, in which a solid understanding of the landscape history provides a basis for interpretation and conservation of nature.

Lifelike and detailed, the dioramas' historical and ecological approach remains relevant today as it becomes more apparent that changes in nature can only be assessed through long-term perspectives.

Liked Bullough's Pond? Are You Ready for Harvard's Forest?
Many people do not realize that Harvard University has its own forest in New England. The forest has been a source of study for silviculture since its founding in 1907 for almost 100 years.

In the late 1920s, Harvard professor Richard T. Fisher joined with a philanthropist, Dr. Ernest G. Stillman, and talented artisans in the studio of Guernsey and Pitman in Harvard Square to develop a remarkable series of dioramas to capture conservation issues for future generations of silviculture students to study. These dioramas are the basis for the text and illustrations in this book.

New England was mostly ancient forest when the European settlers arrived. The small Native American population cleared only a modest portion of the forests, and used the game from the forests rather more than the timber. With immigration, New England rapidly became one big farm. So much for the original forests. Next, the New England farms were put out of business by richer, midwestern farms shipping their goods to the east. Within a few decades, new forests arose to cover the temporarily cleared and abandoned fields. With rapid growth in pines, a second wave of clearing occurred about a hundred years ago, leaving the forests to start to regrow again. The current hardwood-dominated forests are a result of this man-driven process. These experiences provide many lessons for understanding the impact that people have on forests, and for suggesting better practices for the future.

In one sequence of seven dioramas depicting the same place over time, you can see the whole historical process take place. I found it fascinating. I recognized in each image places that I had visited in New England. Now I can connect each site to what it represents in terms of environmental circumstances. That is like learning to read nature in the way I can read a book to get a message.

Today, we think ahead further (but probably not yet far enough) to consider the implications of our actions on future generations and other species. These dioramas show the importance of capturing the natural history of an area to begin to draw those lessons.

Another set of dioramas were designed to exemplify the conservation issues in New England forests, including loss of old-growth forests, habitat needs for wildlife, natural losses due to hurricanes, erosion from cutting forests, imported pests that feed on forests, and the impact of natural fires and fighting forest fires.

To me the most fascinating part was in the suggested good principles of forestry management. Each stage of forest growth and regrowth is displayed, along with what needs to be done for each stage. This reminded me of being asked about what to do by a client with very large holdings of forests in Maine a few years ago. If I had known about these dioramas, I could have given much more appropriate and valuable advice. I do feel quite a pang of regret at the missed opportunity, as a result.

The final section of the book shows the detail of how the dioramas were created.

The book also tells you about the history of the Harvard Forest and how to reach the Fisher Museum where the dioramas are displayed. I recommend the visit!

The reference to Bullough's Pond in the title of this review is for the highly regarded book that slightly preceded this one, about the ecological history of a man-made pond in Newton, Massachusetts. If you have not yet read that fine work, you have a real treat ahead of you. Anyone who is interested in understanding the rhythms between humans and nature can learn much from these two books.

Having read these two books, a new question occurs to me. At one time, forest fires were aggressively avoided in New England. The current view is that these are a natural process and should not be so aggressively countered. Where else do our views need to be shifted to reflect the long-term best interests of all?

How should use of forests and water reserves be adjusted to reflect optimum benefits for the next ten generations? How would our use change if this question were stretched to cover twenty generations? Do we even know how to think about these questions? Do we have plans to be able to learn how?

Overcome the presumption that only the here and now is important. What we do here and now is very important, but our decisions need to be much more independent of momentary needs and perspectives.

fascinating microcosm
Perhaps microcosm is not quite the world, Forests Through Time offers a fascinating angle of insight into one aspect of the ecological development of New England. For a wider angle, one reads Bullough's Pond, and for the complete picture of the land in colonial times, Changes in the Land. This however is a fascinating view and well worth perusing.

Virtual Land-use History of New England
Imagine yourself transported back in time to an ancient forest in central New England prior to settlement. As in a time lapsed movie, the ecosystem is transformed before your eyes into a subsistence farm surrounded by forest, to one dominated by prosperous farms with only remnant patches of forest dotting the land, to the forest reclaiming the abandoned farm landscape. This was part of an ubiquitous land use history that was replicated througout much of New England. The history is superbly depicted in Foster's and O'Keefe's "New England Forest Through Time: Insights from The Harvard Forest Dioramas". The narrative and photographs of the breath-taking dioramas capture the economic and natural forces that shaped the New England Landscape. The description and pictorials cover the abuses the land suffered from deforestation, overgrazing, and widespread clearcutting, and exacerbated by unnaturally high incidence of fire. The book expounds upon the different wildlife habitat associated with the changes that have occured as well as forest management techniques and current forestry issue. This book is an excellent tool for natural resource managers and educators as well as the layman who wants to know why there are apple trees, stone walls, cellar holes in the middle of the woods. ... Read more

Book Description

The floodplain forest of the Amazon is the last major agricultural frontier of the Americas. This unique habitat, inundated in some places to a depth of thirty feet a year, contains a marvelous variety of plant and animal resources that inhabitants have long reaped--fruit, nuts, building materials, fuelwood, and medicinal plants. While the floodplain has great potential for food production, its natural resource base is becoming increasingly threatened by ranching and agricultural expansion and impaired by inappropriate land-use practices.

This important book, based both on field observations carried out over the past quarter century and historical material, demonstrates that knowledge possessed by area dwellers offers vital insights for promoting the sound economic development of the floodplain. Nigel Smith argues for the importance of balance between land-use systems, and suggests that research and development should be realigned to incorporate both modern science and traditional systems. Beautifully illustrated with the author's own photographs, this authoritative volume explores a broad range of ecological, historical, cultural, and socioeconomic issues, and offers practical suggestions for developing the floodplain that enhance, rather than destroy, biodiversity. ... Read more

Book Description

While many studies of tropical deforestation neglect the indigenous people of the forests, this book illuminates the insights local people have into conservation of their ecosystems, the effects of habitation on those ecosystems, and the impact of development and natural resource depletion on their lives. The book includes coverage of Central and South America, Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Indian subcontinent.

Book Description

A 1996 Parents' Choice Award Winner! Ancient Forests untangles the complexity of old-growth forests. Termites, slime molds, owls and flying squirrels seem more like neighbors, thanks to the activities in this engaging, scientifically accurate book. It helps children see the interconnection between nature and people. ... Read more

Book Description

Ever wonder how porcupines procreate? Where you can best see the northern lights? How many fireflies it takes to equal the light of a 40-watt bulb? The answers-and much, much more-are in this fascinating, indispensable guide to America's Great North Woods.

The Wild Woods Guide is the perfect introduction and companion to one of the world's largest and most beautiful forest regions. Filled with helpful and often little-known information about the plants, animals, rocks, and other natural phenomena encountered in the swathe of forest that stretches from Minnesota to Maine, this guidebook is almost as fun and interesting as actually going out into the woods yourself.

Whether you're an occasional hiker or a seasoned woodsperson, this entertaining collection of facts and tore will prove as useful to pack as it is wonderful to read.

Veteran birders, canoers, and campers, Doug Bennet and Tim Tiner are the authors of the bestselling guidebooks to Ontario's wilderness, Up North and Up North Again. They are members of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and live in Toronto with their families.

Reviews (2)

Very nice book
Very entertaining, I was not disappointed. I would have rated it 5 stars if it only had color illustrations (instead of black-and-white).

I loved this book
Having just lived through another l-o-n-g winter for the privilege of living in the northwoods, this book was like a breath of fresh air. From mosses to white pines, water striders to black bears, this very readable book covers most everything you're likely to find in the northern woods -- and there are even segments on clouds and constellations. One-stop shopping for all your info needs if you love the woods and are curious about its other inhabitants. Lots of little-known facts written in an intelligent and engaging fashion. An easy-to-use reference that even children could enjoy, with entries that make you want to check out "just one more thing." After buying it yesterday we had a long road trip ahead of us -- that sort of flew by as I read entries aloud to my husband. It would be a great addition to our cabin "library" on a pine shelf behind the woodstove, but I kind of think I'll keep it here at home, close at hand. ... Read more

Book Description

Regional/Nature

Leon C. Snyder Trees and Shrubs for Northern Gardens Revised by Richard T. Isaacson Photography by John Gregor

The classic guide to growing woody plants in a northern climate, in a new easy-to-use edition.

Leon Snyder's Trees and Shrubs for Northern Gardens was originally published in 1980 and quickly became the standard reference to trees, shrubs, and woody vines that thrive in northern climates. Weekend gardeners and professional horticulturalists have used Snyder's work to design gardens and landscapes in many areas of North America, including the Upper Midwest, Northern New England, the Plains States, and most of Canada.

This long-awaited new edition combines the technical information that made the first so valuable to the career horticulturalist with a new, practical approach that makes it essential for the recreational northern gardener. Sections on how to plan a garden are followed by advice on how to best plant and maintain trees and shrubs. The largest section of this new edition is an easy-to-use guide to the many varieties of trees, shrubs, and vines that will grow in the north. Here gardeners will learn the origins of various plants, how they can best be maintained, where and how they will grow, whether they will produce fruit or flowers, and how they will respond to changes in weather.

Trees and Shrubs for Northern Gardens features many remarkable illustrations, including both contemporary and historical line drawings. In addition, one hundred stunning full-color photographs demonstrate the beauty of these plants in full bloom. Quotations from famous horticultural and natural history writers link today's gardeners with fellow gardening enthusiasts across the centuries. This indispensable new edition is certain to become the standard reference for gardeners of the north.Leon C. Snyder (1908-1987) is also the author of Flowers for Northern Gardens (1983) and Gardening in the Upper Midwest (1985), both published by the University of Minnesota Press.

Richard T. Isaacson is bibliographer and head librarian at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

John Gregor is owner of ColdSnap Photography.

Distributed for the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for Northern Gardeners - what will grow, what won't
I really liked this book for its brutal honestly about plant habits - which trees & shrubs will die back in Zone 4, which need protected sites, which sucker, which are not that attractive. It has an extensive list of cultivars for species - I just wish I knew where to find some of them! My only disappointment is the lesser number of pictures in this edition as opposed to the original. ... Read more

Book Description

Forests reflect the history of our planet. They adjust to fires and storms, expand and contract in size, and respond to changes in climate and elevation with changes in species composition. This book presents the story of North America's forests--unfolding their dynamic history from the glaciers of the Ice Age to the beginning of the age of discovery. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent Book
I found this book to be very well researched and written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural history of our great nation.

Review of Thomas Bonnicksen's America's Ancient Forests
This book could have been titled America's Ancient Landscapes. One of the pleasant surprises about this book is that it deals with all types of landscapes: prairies, barrens, savannas, and all types of wetlands, as well as forests. For those of us in the Midwest, who deal with all of those types, this is a great bonus. Bonnicksen gives us the needed background, through the tremendous changes of the ice age and the plant migrations that followed, to the landscape affects of the Native Americans, to be able to knowledgeably manage natural areas, and restorations. The background on the Indians is so very thorough. You can't help but acquire a new impression of how important and ubiquitous their influence was. What I really like about this book is the complete documentation, done in the old fashioned way, with footnotes! The chapter on fire had 317 footnotes, all of which can be looked up in first the Notes and Citations, then in the extensive Bibliography, which alone covers 75 pages! This is a great reference work. If you can't afford it, get your local library to purchase a copy. I did!

Thomas M. Bonnicksen Brilliant Paen to our Ancient Forests
Professor Bonnicksen has devoted his career to the care and protection of the forests. Where public relations folks talk the talk, Professor Bonnicksen walks the walk. Ancient Forests is a tour through history, a tour de forest that takes us from ancient lands and brings us to the present day, making us realize that from the forest we came and from the forests we shall go. A member of the Congressional Commission charged with oversight of American forest and land use and a devoted conservationist, Professor Bonnicksen in this brilliant volume brings many of his themes expounded in shorter articles and books together in a densely forested wood of pine and deciduous scented brilliance. After reading this book, no one will pass a tree and look at it the same, ever, again. Kudos to Professor Bonnicksen of Texas A & M University. ... Read more

Book Description

Expanded Edition This new, expanded edition of The Unquiet Woods, Ramachandra Guha'spathbreaking study of peasant movements against commercial forestry, offers anew epilogue that brings the story of Himalayan social protest up-to-date,reflecting the Chipko movement's continuing influence in the wider world.A newappendix charts the progress of environmental history in India. The bibliographyand index have been revised and updated. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Wonderful MI Forest Resource
There are few books that offer so much information in such a readable a format. I picked it up thinking that it was mostly a reference book but as I read, I found I was wrong. It is a wonderfully readable blend of history, science and folklore, perfect for preparing to discuss or explain forest issues to others. The authors are not shy about exposing scams and consequences. It is a great book that adds depth for both the recreational reader and the forestry expert. Well researched and thoughtfully assembled. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

GET THIS BOOK!!!!!
This book rocks! It inspires as well as informs! The line drawings are especially amazing. Van Pelt selects specific angles for each drawing, such that he captures the unique qualities of each individual tree. These renderings are beautiful and accurate. Each one can be studied for hours. The photographs could have been a bit more creative, but he follows an effective strategy by showing a human in most pictures. This allows the reader to understand the immense size of these giants. The text provides an excellent natural history, conveying to the reader an intertwined tale of ecology, history, and discovery. Lastly, I was especially impressed with the fact that Van Pelt included so many tree species and individuals. By doing this he has allowed us to truly appreciate the diversity, beauty and uniqueness of these amazing trees.

A Must for Tree Lovers!
This is an awesome book of personal accounts, illustrations, and photographs of magnificent individuals of Pacific coast conifers. Van Pelt knows these trees like no one else, having journied to, measured, and stood in awe at each of the giants depicted. His writes with witty reverence and from a deep understanding of the ecology of giant trees. Featured in the book are the author's beautiful line drawings of the trees, which capture the amazing structural complexity of their crowns in a way not possible with photographs. This book is a must for all tree lovers and those interested in coffee table adventuring into the last great forests of the Pacific coast. ... Read more

Book Description

Jack Ward Thomas, an eminent wildlife biologist and U.S. Forest Service career scientist, was drafted in the late 1980s to head teams of scientists developingstrategies for managing the habitat of the northern spotted owl. That assignment led to his selection as Forest Service chief during the early years of the Clinton administration. It is history’s good fortune that Thomas kept journals of his thoughts and daily experiences, and that he is a superb writer able to capture the moment with clarity and grace.

The issues Thomas dealt with in office and noted in his journals lie at the heart of recent Forest Service policy and controversy, starting with President Clinton’s Timber Summit in Portland, Oregon, dealing with the spotted owl issue, and the 1994 loss of fourteen firefighters in the Storm King Mountain fire in Colorado. Against a constant backdrop of partisan politics in the White House and Congress, Thomas discusses issues ranging from grazing in the national forests, long-term pulp timber sales in Alaska, and the Forest Service Law Enforcement Division to the New World Mine near Yellowstone National Park. He considers the timber salvage rider and its linkage to forest health, the Department of Justice and Counsel on Environmental Quality influence on Forest Service policies, and interagency management for the Columbia River Basin.

Woven throughout these excerpts from his diary is Thomas’s conviction that the effective, ethical management of wildlife depends on how the management effort is situated within the broader human context, with all its intransigence and unpredictability. Writing in 1995, Thomas says, "Things simply don’t work the way that students are taught in natural resources policy classes--not even close. . . .There is simply no way that scholars of the subject can understand the ad hoc processes that go on within only loosely defined boundaries." Wildlife management, he says, is "90 percent about people and 10 percent about animals," and when it comes to learning about people, wildlife managers are on their own. This book is the record of how one man met that challenge. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A bold and honest view of the politics of forest management
In the summer of 1986, Jack Ward Thomas began keeping a journal. "This will be a journal of random thoughts," he wrote. "My purpose is unknown to me, but I feel a compulsion to begin. Perhaps it will serve as a tickler of memory for the book I intend to write, but of course never will."

This first book from Jack Ward Thomas is sure to open the eyes of those who think they know how policy and management decisions affecting the nation's forests are made. Though Thomas has authored well over 400 publications, mostly on wildlife conservation, perhaps the most valuable thing he's written is the set of journals he started eighteen years ago - the book he intended to write.

As Chief of the Forest Service, Thomas is quick to give credit to those he respects, particularly his agency employees in the field. But he doesn't shy from battle, and his assessments of some political appointees in Washington and certain members of Congress are brutal.

Thomas was drafted into the chief's job shortly after Clinton took office, and he took the helm of the agency with typical fortitude - and the naiveté of a researcher thrust into the political cauldron that is Washington DC.

"We don't just manage land," he wrote, "we're supposed to be leaders. Conservation leaders. Leaders in protecting and improving the land."

Statements like that surprised some of the people in Washington, but certainly didn't surprise his longtime friends and colleagues. Thomas had been talking about and writing about conservation for most of his life. And the cream of that conservation writing is in his journals.

This book offers not only insight into the mind and heart of a naturalist, but also a perspective on the politics of natural resource management through the eyes of one of this country's finest conservationists. His writings clarify many of the environmental issues we face today: protecting obscure but endangered species, dealing with wildfire and wildfire fatalities, balancing resource needs against the need to preserve, and the development of policies to address forest health.

This book's a treasure, and will be a valuable addition to the collections of those who care about natural resources management. ... Read more

Book Description

"The fate of humanity, like the fate of the earth, is tied to the fires that have made the world as we know it--the fires whose history is told as well in this book as it has ever been told before. If one wants to understand just how completely the story of the human past is also the story of fire on earth, there is no better place to start than this small book."--from the Foreword

Here, in one concise book, is the essential story of fire. To provide readers with a way of understanding fire's variable role in human endeavors, Stephen Pyne has fashioned a chronological structure for this book. Natural fire existed before human habitation, when lightning put flame on land. Anthropogenic fire occurred when hominids seized that spark and began recasting Earth to meet their needs and expectations. Industrial combustion arrived when humans began to burn fossil biomass from the geologic past.

Pyne describes the evolution of fire through prehistoric and historic times down to the present, examining contemporary attitudes from a long-range, informed perspective. Fire: A Brief History also surveys the principles behind aboriginal and agricultural fire practices, the characteristics of urban fire, and the relationship between controlled combustion and technology, particularly those tools and techniques that affect landscapes.

Fire's role in cities, suburbs, exurbs, and wildlands as shaped by the industrialized, Europeanized, urban way of thinking that prevails in most of the world is a subject the author covers brilliantly. "Questions of what kind of fires should exist," he writes, "are increasingly decided in urban centers based on urban values. The modern city's fire reach extends far beyond the range of its municipal fire department."

Fire: A Brief History will be of value to readers interested in the environment, whether from the standpoint of anthropology, geography, forestry, general science and technology, history, or the humanities. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Style overpowers substance
Pyne has won a deserved reputation as the leading cultural historian and philosopher of fire. This book should have been an opportunity to summarize his findings in a clearly written, easily read way for people who are unlikely to read his more detailed studies. Pyne does offer us many interesting observations and perspectives on the history of fire. Unfortunately, he imposes a pretentious "writerly" style on his material, making his book laborious to read. His self-conscious literary artistry obscures as much as it reveals. Many of his poetic statements are not explained with supporting facts. A more straightforward telling of this story would be welcome.

Use this book for kindling!!!
Ugh! May the lord have mercy on Weyerhaeuser for their misguided economic support of this book, which should stand forever as an object lesson in what happens when corporations start actually acting on their own airy-fairy mission statements. This book ought more accurately be titled 'a brief AND UNBEARABLE history of fire' -- Pyne apparently fashions himself to be the dylan thomas of fire history, inundating us page after page with rompous and ridiculous artistic alliterations, with ceaseless inversions poetic, and anthropomorphisms that would be hilarious if not so awful. Can we possibly believe that fire is 'unique to earth' (p. xv), where the 'biotic broth broiled over' (p.3) and 'humanity's restless hand and roving mind' (p. 7) is 'the keeper of the vital flame'? Can we speak sensibly of fire when it appears like a ludicrous singles advert, 'fickle if powerful', ignited by lightening... excuse me, I meant to say ignited by a force 'relentlessly restoring electrical equilibrium'? Pyne, are you losing your mind? Fire deserves much better treatment than this goofiness. Use this book for kindling!!! ... Read more

Book Description

As the field of wildlife managment has grown enormously, giving birth to new areas including endangered species preservation, nongame managment, socioeconomic aspects of wildlife management, and an increasing emphasis upon management of natural communities to preserve species diversity.This book attempts a different approach to Wildlife Ecology, by providing an introduction to virtually the entire field of terrestrial wildlife management. ... Read more

Book Description

Anatomy of a Conflict explores the cultural aspects of the fierce dispute between activist loggers and environmentalists over the fate of Oregon’s temperate rain forest. Centred on the practice of old-growth logging and the survival of the northern spotted owl, the conflict has lead to the burning down of ranger stations, the spiking of trees, logging truck blockades, and countless demonstrations and arrests.

Satterfield shows how the debate about the forest is, at its core, a debate about the cultural make-up of the Pacific Northwest. To talk about forests is to talk about culture, whether the discussion is about scientific explanations of conifer forests, activists’ grassroots status and their emotional attachment to land, or the implications of past people’s land use for future forest management. An engaging ethnographic study, this book emphasizes the historical roots and contemporary emergence of identity movements as a means for challenging cultural patterns. It makes a significant contribution to culture- and identity-driven theories of human action in the context of social movements and environmental studies. ... Read more