Forestry Books

[aaronlee]

Hi all,
I tried to ask a question in another post about sustainable forestry. And I think I asked it in the wrong way. What I really should have asked is what are people reading or who are people reading on the topic of sustainable forestry or even wood lot management?

Thanks for you time
Aaron lee

[Carl Russell]

Hey Aaron, below are some good books that I recommend to landowners I work with (because I focus more on landowner forestry education than acting as a hired manager). They are written for the lay-person and landowner, promoting the information necessary for someone to take responsibility for stewarding their own forestland.

Common Sense Forestry by Hans Morsbach. Chelsea Green Publishing Co., POB 428, WR Jct., VT 05001 800-639-4099

Low Impact Forestry by Mitch Lansky. I don’t have the book in front of me so I can’t tell you who publishes it

Woodland Ecology;Environmental Forestry for the Small Owner by Leon S. Minckler.Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY 13210. If this book is out of print, I’ll lend it to you, it’s good.

A Natural History of TREES of Eastern and Central North America by Donald Culross Peattie.Houghton Mifflin Co. 2 Park St., Boston MA 02108.
This book is not a forestry book per se, but an especially wonderful book of description of all of the trees natural to our forests. I love not only the style of prose, but that these species are introduced in a way that allows you to understand them for the contributions they make to the forest and to humans.

[Jim Ostergard]

Aaron,
Mitch Lansky was published by Maine Environmental Policy Institute, POB 347, Hollowell, Maine, 04347. (http://www.meepi.org & http://www.lowimpactforestry.org
I recommend this to landowners and also Positive Impact Forestry by Thom McEvoy (Island Press) for range of perspective.
I’ve worked with Mitch and his book is valuable for figuring some of the economics of the job.
cheers…Jim Ostergard

[Does’ Leap]

Carl and Jim:

Which of the books mentioned would be a good one to start with? I have a 100 acre woodlot and have taken a load out here and there for building projects and sold some but would like to be more informed in order to manage this resource better. I am planning on updating/writing my current use plan (Vermont tax break for forest and agricultural land) and would like more information.

Thanks.

George

[Carl Russell]

Woodland Ecology would be my first recommendation. It really covers some good info about management, and choices. It may be hard to find though, I’ve had this book a long time. It was printed in 1975.

I haven’t seen Thom McEvoy’s book, but I have heard good stuff. I don’t know personally. Carl

[Gabe Ayers]

I always recommend an old hero of mine, the late Dr. Leon Minckler, He has a title something like managing a small woodlot that is available through Rural Heritage under his name.

He is the fellow that said forester’s could be the most important people for the survival of the human species and the planet if they would take their job seriously…..he said that over twenty five years ago, way ahead of his time…. He was in his nineties and a retired professor that supported our worst first single tree selection, through modern animal powered logging, a real statement in those days….but he said to me once, that if he every heard I was high grading he would come back and from the top of the canopy drop a limb on me as a spirit. He was cool man, a visionary.

I read this book years ago and recommended it to RH as a starter sustainable forestry book, although he doesn’t use the buzz words, just good common sense. Of course I loaned it out (signed copy no less) and haven’t seen it sense….I don’t loan books anymore….

I remember Mitch Landsky wrote a book called Forestry as if tomorrow Mattered or something like that….that sounds like a good title too.

Of course I recommend anyone interested go to our web site and read the material in the documents section and the Forest Understories section to see how we describe what we do. Particularly the Forestland, A Natural Capital System and Nature’s Tree Marking System, common sense worst first selection guidelines. Also the Forest Understories section has some exchanges that describe the Swede Cut timber felling method in text form. It is all good reading and public information for someone wanting to take the best care of their forest.

Address below.

[near horse]

Hi Aaron,

On the video side of things:

I just want to mention that there was a video series put out by Maine Public TV and Univ. Maine Orono called “Great American Woodlots”. It came out in the mid 80’s but was pretty neat in that it showed management of woodlots in different areas with differing objectives.

I see that Univ Maine library and UMass Amherst hav them on hand. I’m just trying to find some copies out here in the west.

It worked to peak my interest way back in the 80s.

[aaronlee]

Thanks for the heads up Geoff. I’ll do a little poking around and see what I can find.
Aaron

[Author]

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