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In a Dark Wood: A Critical History of the Fight Over Forests
In a Dark Wood presents a history of debates among ecologists over what constitutes good forestry, and a critique of the ecological reasoning behind contemporary strategies of preservation, including the Endangered Species Act. Chase argues that these strategies, in many instances adopted for political, rather than scientific reasons, fail to promote biological diversity and may actually harm more creatures than they help. At the same time, Chase offers examples of conservation strategies that work, but which are deemed politically incorrect and ignored. In a Dark Wood provides the most thoughtful and complete account yet written of radical environmentalism. And it challenges the fundamental―but largely unexamined―assumptions of preservationism, such as those concerning whether there is a "balance of nature," whether all branches of ecology are really science, and whether ecosystems exist. In his new introduction, Chase evaluates the response to his book and reports on recent developments in environmental science, policy, and politics. In a Dark Wood was judged by a recent national poll to be one of the one hundred best nonfiction books written in the English language during the twentieth century. A smashing good read, this book will be of interest to environmentalists, ecologists, philosophers, biologists, and bio-ethicists, and anyone concerned about ecological issues.
576 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 2, 2008
If you "think" you know all about the origins of the environmentalist movement, then think again (unless you are a Phd in the subject or something like that!) This book is an excellent way to bring yourself up to speed on the history of the environmental movement in the United States. Alston Chase has his opinions but he does a pretty good job of holding them in check until the very end. By that time (it's a long book) you will have already had time to develop your own opinion and you can either chose to agree or disagree with his position. this was one of the more enlightening and educational books I read in recent months.
April 15, 2011
"Ideas have consequences." - Richard M. Weaver
With his book, In a Dark Wood, Alston Chase has written a story about the ecological struggle over the forests, but in doing so he has also developed the history of an idea. The idea is really many ideas, incorporating questions about the definition of nature, the science of ecology and the question of eco-systems -- just what are they and what should we do about them.
"It is a tale without heroes or villains, in which the bad guy isn't a person at all but an idea"(p xi)
His story begins with people, from John Muir and Henry David Thoreau to the eco-revolutionaries of the seventies and eighties. But the story also begins with the question: What is Nature? For it is the battle over nature that guides the narrative and the history of the ecological movement. His focus is primarily on the forests of Northwestern United States, and the battles to protect "endangered" species like the Spotted Owl. In doing so he provides a tremendous amount of detail about incidents that, like a mosaic of tiles, fit together to create a story. But the battle is also philosophical and political. Alston points out the unintended consequences of ideas that are not fully understood, of actions that are based on questionable science or faulty and limited studies, and the irrational passions that drove many of the people in the story, both good and bad, to take unreasonable actions. Ultimately it becomes a story about those who insist on determining the one way that all must follow to do what is good for man, forgetting the folly that has occurred throughout history when that has been attempted in the past.
For Chase his ne plus ultra was a focus on people and ideas, devising a book interesting to all who are stimulated by the history of ideas and the actions men take. It also allowed him to be balanced in his approach, emphasizing science and carefully pointing out what we do know and, more importantly, what we do not know.
With his book, In a Dark Wood, Alston Chase has written a story about the ecological struggle over the forests, but in doing so he has also developed the history of an idea. The idea is really many ideas, incorporating questions about the definition of nature, the science of ecology and the question of eco-systems -- just what are they and what should we do about them.
"It is a tale without heroes or villains, in which the bad guy isn't a person at all but an idea"(p xi)
His story begins with people, from John Muir and Henry David Thoreau to the eco-revolutionaries of the seventies and eighties. But the story also begins with the question: What is Nature? For it is the battle over nature that guides the narrative and the history of the ecological movement. His focus is primarily on the forests of Northwestern United States, and the battles to protect "endangered" species like the Spotted Owl. In doing so he provides a tremendous amount of detail about incidents that, like a mosaic of tiles, fit together to create a story. But the battle is also philosophical and political. Alston points out the unintended consequences of ideas that are not fully understood, of actions that are based on questionable science or faulty and limited studies, and the irrational passions that drove many of the people in the story, both good and bad, to take unreasonable actions. Ultimately it becomes a story about those who insist on determining the one way that all must follow to do what is good for man, forgetting the folly that has occurred throughout history when that has been attempted in the past.
For Chase his ne plus ultra was a focus on people and ideas, devising a book interesting to all who are stimulated by the history of ideas and the actions men take. It also allowed him to be balanced in his approach, emphasizing science and carefully pointing out what we do know and, more importantly, what we do not know.
April 23, 2018
A hilariously awful book written by a climate change denier in the early 1990s. This book MUST be the Environment Bible for every single person who made Scott Pruitt the head of the E.P.A. The arguments that Chase makes against ecosystems even existing are so staggeringly flawed that one would feel embarrassed for him if he weren't so arrogantly certain he was correct (note that the Dr. in Dr. Alston Chase means he holds a doctorate in Philosophy, NOT any form of science). He compares environmentalists to Nazis and Puritans. It's a gay ole time muddling through what may or may not be anti-intellectual misogyny and is most certainly terrible attempts at trying to science. In fact, anyone who has tried to talk sense into a climate change denier online will recognize such hilarious highlights as "humans are part of nature so what they do is natural too." I swear I've met this guy, which is why I suspect a bunch of empty headed far-right conservatives display this book proudly on their coffee table as the smartest book they've ever read.
That being said, Alston Chase is a gifted story teller and knows all about the laws in the United States surrounding the environment and their process of implementation from about 1900 to the 1970s. As a historian he shines, in his true-to-life accounts of 20th century Humboldt County (where I currently live) and the entire political controversy in the early '90s surrounding the Northern Spotted Owl. My political science professor is a lawyer, and I'm presuming he made us read it for the history and law stuff. I'm hoping. I'm actually glad I've read it though because it is a great historical snapshot of American environmental controversies in politics and now I know where that crazy guy from the forum I used to belong to got his wack-a-doodle ideas about environmental science. That's why I give it a solid three stars, for delightful readability as an accurate historical account of the NSO wars and of insane late 20th century American conservatism.
That being said, Alston Chase is a gifted story teller and knows all about the laws in the United States surrounding the environment and their process of implementation from about 1900 to the 1970s. As a historian he shines, in his true-to-life accounts of 20th century Humboldt County (where I currently live) and the entire political controversy in the early '90s surrounding the Northern Spotted Owl. My political science professor is a lawyer, and I'm presuming he made us read it for the history and law stuff. I'm hoping. I'm actually glad I've read it though because it is a great historical snapshot of American environmental controversies in politics and now I know where that crazy guy from the forum I used to belong to got his wack-a-doodle ideas about environmental science. That's why I give it a solid three stars, for delightful readability as an accurate historical account of the NSO wars and of insane late 20th century American conservatism.
July 25, 2024
A SKEPTICAL LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF THE FOREST PRESERVATION ISSUE
Alston Chase is also the author of 'Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America's First National Parks,' 'We Give Our Hearts to Dogs to Tear: Intimations of their Immortality,' 'Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1995 book, "I set out to explore the anatomy of the fight over old-growth forests and threatened species in the Pacific Northwest... I would interview all sides of the dispute---mainstream environmentalists, ... loggers, millworkers and their bosses, forest rangers...---to discover what had driven them to this conclusion... the conclusions were far more disturbing than I had anticipated... ecosystems ecology masquerades as a modern scientific theory... Today, not only does it infuse all environmental law and policy, but its influence is also quietly changing the very character of government. Yet, as I shall show, it is false, and its implementation has been a calamity for nature and society." (Pg. xii-xiii)
Concerning the Snail Darter controversy at the Tellico Dam, he concludes, "Thus did one form of extremism---construction of a dam that would harm both people and nature---provoke another... the Court, offended by the stupidity of the Tellico project, decreed endangered species to be of absolute value, thereby inadvertently endorsing biocentrism as the law of the land." (Pg. 150)
He notes that after the bombing of Judi Bari's car, authorities "made no effort to trace the sources of earlier death threats. They never seriously considered any logger or pro-life activist a suspect. Instead... they pursued a media campaign aimed at convincing the public of Bari's guilt." (Pg. 332)
He concludes by favorably citing a coalition of loggers and conservationists in Grants Pass, Oregon, that is "aimed at restoring both forest health and the local economy." (Pg. 421)
This book will certainly offend BOTH sides of the logging/forest conflict, but it is for that reason perhaps more valuable.
Alston Chase is also the author of 'Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America's First National Parks,' 'We Give Our Hearts to Dogs to Tear: Intimations of their Immortality,' 'Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1995 book, "I set out to explore the anatomy of the fight over old-growth forests and threatened species in the Pacific Northwest... I would interview all sides of the dispute---mainstream environmentalists, ... loggers, millworkers and their bosses, forest rangers...---to discover what had driven them to this conclusion... the conclusions were far more disturbing than I had anticipated... ecosystems ecology masquerades as a modern scientific theory... Today, not only does it infuse all environmental law and policy, but its influence is also quietly changing the very character of government. Yet, as I shall show, it is false, and its implementation has been a calamity for nature and society." (Pg. xii-xiii)
Concerning the Snail Darter controversy at the Tellico Dam, he concludes, "Thus did one form of extremism---construction of a dam that would harm both people and nature---provoke another... the Court, offended by the stupidity of the Tellico project, decreed endangered species to be of absolute value, thereby inadvertently endorsing biocentrism as the law of the land." (Pg. 150)
He notes that after the bombing of Judi Bari's car, authorities "made no effort to trace the sources of earlier death threats. They never seriously considered any logger or pro-life activist a suspect. Instead... they pursued a media campaign aimed at convincing the public of Bari's guilt." (Pg. 332)
He concludes by favorably citing a coalition of loggers and conservationists in Grants Pass, Oregon, that is "aimed at restoring both forest health and the local economy." (Pg. 421)
This book will certainly offend BOTH sides of the logging/forest conflict, but it is for that reason perhaps more valuable.
November 18, 2020
Chase gives a wise and refreshingly even handed presentation of the timber wars. It gives a history of the debate among ecologists over good forestry. Should forestry in our national forests be preservationist oriented or conservation oriented? Having survived the timber wars personally, I wish more people would read this book. The best answers are never black or white.
July 1, 2009
Presents a background on the Environmental movement. Focuses specifically on Redwoods, spotted owls and Earth First! because that is where a lot of the action was. Very readable. I don't agree with the author about everything, but on a few points I find him very convincing.
1. There is no natural state to get back to. Humans have been altering the environment in major ways (by deliberately cause forest fires among other reasons) as far back as we can tell.
2. Any decision on protecting the environment should take into account the costs to people. The loggers described in the book are the most sympathetic characters. They weren't horrible stewards of the environment but were vilified and put out of work.
3. We shouldn't jump to conclusions until the science is well established. Many environmental decisions have been rushed due to a feeling of urgency. In retrospect many of the policies actual hurt the species they were intended to help.
4. There is no such thing as unbiasedness science because all scientists are biased human beings.
1. There is no natural state to get back to. Humans have been altering the environment in major ways (by deliberately cause forest fires among other reasons) as far back as we can tell.
2. Any decision on protecting the environment should take into account the costs to people. The loggers described in the book are the most sympathetic characters. They weren't horrible stewards of the environment but were vilified and put out of work.
3. We shouldn't jump to conclusions until the science is well established. Many environmental decisions have been rushed due to a feeling of urgency. In retrospect many of the policies actual hurt the species they were intended to help.
4. There is no such thing as unbiasedness science because all scientists are biased human beings.
May 12, 2012
This book takes a hard look at the evolution of our perceptions of nature & the environmental movement. From John Muir to Earthfirst, from loggers to politics, this book touches on it all. The author clearly did his homework & much of it chronicles the events of scientists, as well as government. Most importantly, the book highlights much of the science (and sometimes lack therof) which informs the conventional thinking today. It certainly got me thinking about the "myth" that nature is "stable" without the influence of humans.
Want to read
May 1, 2009Alston Chase is coming to be a Libra Speaker at UMM either in March or April, 2009. I am going to read his book before he comes so I have more to talk to him about, once he gets here. Yay! Jon Reisman has lent me the book.
February 7, 2009
This is a good read and a great education all in one. I read this book in college and met the author...that was a treat. I plan to read this one again soon.
April 25, 2010
Excellent review of the history of the radical green movement. One of the most informative books on the subject I have ever read.
November 16, 2013
Vary well documented. Shows how "science" can be twisted to fit an agenda.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews