A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry

by Kirk Hanson, Seth Zuckerman

Throughout Oregon and Washington there are several hundred thousand family forest owners, in addition to millions of forest acres under the care of community forests, municipalities, and Indigenous tribes, all of whom manage trees for sustainable wood harvest as well as recreation, inspiration, and a range of cultural connections. Yet there hasn’t been a complete resource for Pacific Northwest forest stewards until now.

In this comprehensive how-to, authors Kirk Hanson and Seth Zuckerman explore all aspects of forest management―everything from how to evaluate a piece of land before you buy it through implementing long-term plans that may include establishing new stands of trees, harvesting mushrooms as well as wood, and protecting your forests far into the future through wildfire risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and conservation easements. Loaded with helpful tables and illustrations that address the pros and cons of various species and how to best care for wildlife and the land, A Forest of Your Own is a clear guide to the many rewards of ecological forestry.

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[Stella]

A good overview of ecological forestry for the private land owner. Certain topics covered will require other resources to implement, listed in the back. For our rehabilitation of a small forest to native plants, some of this book is not currently relevant to our situation. Still, a good introduction to a variety of topics (buying land, dealing with invasive species, building trails, thinning trees, planting, pruning, wildlife habitat, foraging, etc.)

[Rowan]

I'm absolutely biased since I know the authors, but this truly is an invaluable resource for landowners in the Northwest, and a fun read to boot!