Awards

• Nominated for Lynton Keith Caldwell Award 2001

Overview

The Northeast's Changing Forest reviews the history and conditions of the forest in the nine northeastern states. This diverse region stretches from the shores of Lake Erie to Passamaquoddy Bay and from Cape May, New Jersey to northern Maine. The forests range from the dune forest of the New Jersey beaches to subalpine forests in the White Mountains and the Adirondacks. Heavily cleared for agriculture in the nineteenth century, the region's forests have increased in area since 1909 by an amount equal to the entire forest area of Maine, which is 17 million acres. The region's forests can be thought of as five ""forests,"" each playing a distinct economic role. In the Industrial Forest, the growing and harvesting of industrial wood is the primary use, accompanied by substantial use for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and wilderness canoeing. In the Suburban Forest, the general emphasis on ""green backdrop"" roles belies the importance of casual recreation, firewood cutting, and industrial wood uses. In the Rural Forest of the region's farming and thinly settled rural areas, traditional forest uses continue. In the Recreational Forest, heavily developed areas for skiing, lakeside camps and resorts, and coastal developments set the tone. Finally, in the Wild Forest, preservation of nature is dominant. After generations when few aside from the landowner and technical communities paid the forests much attention, they have now become focal points for policy conflicts. Proposals for large additions to the Adirondack Park's Forever Wild lands, for creating a Maine Woods National Park, and for eliminating all timber harvesting on the region's National Forests are prominent examples. The legislatures of every state in the region deal annually with issues of forest taxation, forest practices regulation, public ownership, and land uses affecting forests. The Northeast's Changing Forest gives readers an historic, geographic, and ecological background for understanding the condition of the forests of the Northeast and the outlook for their future.

Full Product Details

9780674626805

Table of Contents

Reviews

Irland's book is a valuable presentation of the Northeast's forests past, present, and future...Although written from a forester's perspective, offering the view that Northeast forests have been revitalized by regeneration of cut-over land and reforestation of farmland, the book is a complete account of the current state of the regions forests and forestry issues...This clearly written and well-illustrated book is for nonforesters but will greatly interest foresters and other natural resource managers, and will be applicable to other areas of the country. -- D. L. Richter Choice

Irland's book is a valuable presentation of the Northeast's forests past, present, and future...Although written from a forester's perspective, offering the view that Northeast forests have been revitalized by regeneration of cut-over land and reforestation of farmland, the book is a complete account of the current state of the regions forests and forestry issues...This clearly written and well-illustrated book is for nonforesters but will greatly interest foresters and other natural resource managers, and will be applicable to other areas of the country.--D. L. Richter Choice Provides detailed exploration of five forest types: industrial, recreational, suburban, rural, and wild. Contains useful details and statistics for conservationists, but the book comes close to saying, 'we can have our forests and cut them down too.'--Wild Earth A major contribution to the current debate about the future of the northern forest.--F. Herbert Bormann, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Emeritus Irland captures the essence of the forest as perceived from many different perspectives, and the consequences of these perceptions for both the past and the future of the forest resources .... He provides new insights into the complexity of multiple uses, the importance of changing patterns of land ownership, and other direct and indirect forces that mold the forests. The balanced rationale for conserving forests is developed with a clear understanding of the economic, cultural, and political milieu in which decisions are made, as well as an understanding of the forest as only a forester can know it.--Emily W. B. Russell, Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, author of People and the Land Through Time: Linking Ecology and History

A major contribution to the current debate about the future of the northern forest.--F. Herbert Bormann, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Emeritus Provides detailed exploration of five forest types: industrial, recreational, suburban, rural, and wild. Contains useful details and statistics for conservationists, but the book comes close to saying, 'we can have our forests and cut them down too.'--Wild Earth Irland's book is a valuable presentation of the Northeast's forests past, present, and future...Although written from a forester's perspective, offering the view that Northeast forests have been revitalized by regeneration of cut-over land and reforestation of farmland, the book is a complete account of the current state of the regions forests and forestry issues...This clearly written and well-illustrated book is for nonforesters but will greatly interest foresters and other natural resource managers, and will be applicable to other areas of the country.--D. L. Richter Choice Irland captures the essence of the forest as perceived from many different perspectives, and the consequences of these perceptions for both the past and the future of the forest resources .... He provides new insights into the complexity of multiple uses, the importance of changing patterns of land ownership, and other direct and indirect forces that mold the forests. The balanced rationale for conserving forests is developed with a clear understanding of the economic, cultural, and political milieu in which decisions are made, as well as an understanding of the forest as only a forester can know it.--Emily W. B. Russell, Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, author of People and the Land Through Time: Linking Ecology and History

Author Information

Lloyd C. Irland is a forestry consultant in Maine and has written extensively on forests and natural resources issues.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available