Trees, Truffles, and Beasts

by Chris Maser, Andrew W. Claridge

In Trees, Truffles, and Beasts, Chris Maser, Andrew W. Claridge, and James M. Trappe make a compelling case that in order to develop sustainable ecosystem policies, we must first understand the complexity and interdependency of species and habitats. Comparing forests in the Pacific Northwestern United States and Southeastern mainland of Australia, the authors show how easily observable species-trees and mammals-are part of an infrastructure that includes fungi, lichens, and organisms invisible to the naked eye, such as microbes. Eminently readable, this important book shows that forests are far more complicated than most of us might think, which means simplistic policies will not save them. Understanding the biophysical intricacies of our life-support systems just might.

Genres: Natural History, Ecology, Nonfiction

280 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Chris Maser is an independent author as well as an international lecturer, facilitator, and consultant in resolving environmental conflicts, vision statements, sustainable community development, as well as forest ecology and sustainable forestry practices.

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book was pretty slow going. They repeat themselves extensively on some really easy-to-grasp ideas, and then delve into a whole bunch of dry facts that aren't all that exciting to read and even harder to recall. Then there are some really interesting sounding things that I wanted to hear more about but was left wanting.

Despite these drawbacks, I'm giving this book 5 stars because of the large amount of useful information in it, and how it opened my eyes to the world of forests, how resilient they are naturally and how fragile they become with meddling.

[Kiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes some work to get into, but concepts and ideas well worth it.