Trees Of Life Our Forests In Peril

Forests in Peril

Delcourt takes readers on her personal journey to document the history of the forest from its elusive and nebulous presence at the peak of the last ice age through its development as a magnificent natural resource to its uncertainty in today's, and tomorrow's, greenhouse world. Along this journey, the reader is introduced to methods of studying vegetation, collecting and interpreting data, and applying the insights of forest ecology and history to project future needs of the forest in a world that is increasingly dominated by human activities. The philosophical, intellectual, and methodological perspectives contained in the book will appeal to readers interested in understanding how the natural history of North America has been studied and how that study can contribute to the protection and preservation of America's important biological resources.

Trees of Life

Trees of Life

." . . a more eco-friendly approach to managing our remaining a valuable forested lands." The book challenges the current management of our remaining forestlands and proposes a different approach to our relationship with nature and the implications for the science of forestry. It identifies the problem as a people problem resulting from the strong influence of cultural values on scientific principles. The European (Western) culture and the Native American culture are compared to identify opportunities for future changes that can lead to a more eco-friendly approach to managing our remaining valuable forested lands Current forest science focuses on the renewable resources to be extracted from the forests rather than the requirement of maintaining health and diverse forest communities. It is a call to observe the complexity of creation by identifying the multitude of relationships that are constantly evolving within each community. The book documents the concerns with current management based on the authors personal experience during his 34 year career with one of the world's leading public forest land managing agencies, the US Forest Service. The book concludes with a "call to action" for all interests, if we are to prolong human existence on this planet.