Nature's Temples: The Complex World of Old-Growth Forests

by Joan Maloof

“Maloof eloquently urges us to cherish the wildness of what little old-growth woodlands we have left. . . . Not only are they home to the richest diversity of creatures, but they work hard for humans too.” — New York Times Book Review 
 
An old-growth forest is one that has formed naturally over a long period of time with little or no disturbance from humankind. They are increasingly rare and largely misunderstood. In Nature’s Temples , Joan Maloof, the director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, makes a heartfelt and passionate case for their importance. This evocative and accessible narrative defines old-growth and provides a brief history of forests. It offers a rare view into how the life-forms in an ancient, undisturbed forest—including not only its majestic trees but also its insects, plant life, fungi, and mammals—differ from the life-forms in a forest manipulated by humans. What emerges is a portrait of a beautiful, intricate, and fragile ecosystem that now exists only in scattered fragments. Black-and-white illustrations by Andrew Joslin help clarify scientific concepts and capture the beauty of ancient trees.
 

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Environment, Plants, Natural History, Ecology

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

I have had six nonfiction books published by trade and university presses, and five are still in print. I have had numerous essays, chapters, journal articles, and poems published. I have received writing awards, including the Mary Byrd Davis Award, (a writer’s residency at Bordeneuve Retreat, France); the Eric Hoffer Book Award (finalist); and the International Silent Spring Essay Competition.

I have a PhD in Ecology and I am a Professor Emeritus at Salisbury University in Maryland. I am the Founder of the national Old-Growth Forest Network.

Reviews

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "Nature's Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests" by Joan Maloof is a compelling exploration of old-growth forests and the intricate web of life they sustain—flora and fauna that are now scarce or absent in newer or regenerated forests. It portrays these ancient ecosystems as fragile yet deeply resilient, maintained by a complex interdependence between species. Through detailed chapters, the book examines the relationship between old-growth forests and various life forms—fungi, trees, mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, and even lichen. What emerges is a vivid picture of how these organisms communicate and support one another through chemical signals, nutrient exchanges, and shared food and waste pathways. These interactions are disrupted by rewilding initiatives and systematic logging, which fail to replicate the original ecosystem’s depth. The book underscores that once this cycle is broken, it may take centuries—if ever—to fully restore.

The writing is accessible despite the scientific depth, supported by research studies that bring credibility to its claims. One of the most powerful insights is how old-growth forests are significantly more effective at carbon sequestration than younger forests—a process that compounds with the age of trees and forest systems. Ultimately, the book makes a strong, evidence-backed case for leaving nature to its own devices, resisting the human impulse to constantly harvest, repurpose, or rebuild what we barely understand.

The John Muir quote summarizes the gist of the book well "The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. · When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly quick book to read and filled with lovely illustrations - even if you don't like beetles and earthworms but do like stately trees, birds and small mammals.

First of all, an old-growth forest is determined to be one that has "escaped destruction for a long enough period of time to allow natural biological and ecosystem functions to be the dominant influence." That not only means destruction by natural means - wildfire, weather or natural disaster - but also human interference. There are very few old-growth or virgin forests left in the United States and each one should be treated with care and conservation.

Maloof starts with the history of the earliest trees similar to horsetails and tree ferns from 385 million years ago - oldest fossils have been found in a quarry located in Gilboa, New York - and how they further developed the various forms of propagation or the mast that provides food for many different species through the seasons as well as spread the seeds wide and far. How trees remove carbon from the atmosphere and lock it up in the trunk, branches, roots and leaf debris. Maloff focuses on the east coast forests so although the trees she mentions as tallest or largest are specifically for eastern United States. In turn, the tallest or largest trees are not necessarily the oldest and the oldest are not necessarily the tallest - just look at the bristlecone pine in California which is over 5,000 years old and can grow to about 60 feet while the redwoods can dominant the canopy at over 300 feet. And she does discuss the earlier algebraic formulas used to figure how tall a tree was since it was not possible to climb to the very top and drop a measuring tape.

Then we go into the old-forest inhabitants - birds and their nesting preferences; amphibians and their requirements (moist soil and shade); the different varieties of snails some of which only appear after a forest has been undisturbed by humans for hundreds of years. Insects change as the forest gets older as well. Mosses, liverworts and other fungi along with lichens, worms and mammals. Each get their chapter and details given how they impact and are impacted by the difference in the age of the forest. And the creatures that only appear in the older forests are more likely to be driven into extinction without anyone noticing.

The author ends with a chapter on whether humans actually need forests and discusses not only the impact of photosynthesis in the manufacture of oxygen, the sequestering of carbon and a healthy water cycle but the physical and mental pleasure derived from the beauty of a forest on our emotional well-being. Even amidst the technology and bustling civilization, forest can still provide humans with a refuge and internal peace.

2021-189

[Edd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't know how indispensable Old Growth Forests are and how much we need them.

[Kris Nystrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maloof’s is a comfortable voice in a complex and entangled field.
I read this book a chapter or two at a time over a couple months—interspersed with walks in the woods to look for what I learned—and really enjoyed the experience.
I also read it in the midst of COVID and the BLM movement, which both seem like revelations for how we will respond to global warming crises. Preserving old growth forests takes on a new urgency in that light given the obstacles we have to overcome as flawed beings politically driven by bias and capitalism in the face of science and morality.

[Femke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really interesting to read about old growth forests. Forests that have been here for millions of years. Before mankind even existed. Unfortunately these forests, like many other things right now, are in danger of getting whipped out.
The illustrations were really beautiful and I especially loved the chapters about trees and the history of these ancient forests. I hope one day I can visit one myself!
Tho I didn’t love every chapter as much, some were a bit too scientific and in depth for someone who doesn’t study biology, and I don’t really have to know all the names in Latin of different kinds of fungi, I loved the writing style and I always find it very calming to read about forests.

[Bev Wigney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for those who want to know more about the workings of an old growth forest and why they need to be preserved. It's recent, so includes some good info on topics such as carbon sequestration - information that counters the forest industry's line that older trees should be cut down to make way for seedling plantings. Nicely illustrated with drawings. Maloof has degrees in plant science and environmental science. The info is solid but presented in a way that makes the book suitable for any reader.

[Nicole Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

[Brandy Cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't imagine any reason to write this at 5th grade level. It has pretty illustrations but otherwise, unless you know nothing about forestry or trees, there's not much here except for someone who does actually truly love her topic, albeit in a somewhat preachy way.

[Larisa White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nature’s Temples: The Complex World of Old-Growth Forests,” by Joan Maloof (with illustrations by Andrew Joslin), is a profoundly inspirational work of science writing that describes the structure and ecology of old-growth forests.

The book begins with an awe-inspiring overview of the history of forests on Earth, the earliest known from fossil-records dating from 383 million years ago! Maloof discusses the role of forests in removing carbon from the atmosphere, and the surprising discovery that the largest, oldest trees are far more effective at this task than a multitude of younger, smaller, fast-growing trees. She presents a convincing case for the preservation of old-growth forests, on the grounds that they are essential for the survival and well-being of all other life on Earth.

Maloof then goes on to make the reader fall in love with all the living beings found in old-growth forests, one short chapter at a time. She introduces us, first, to the trees themselves, then one at a time to the birds, amphibians, snails, insects, herb plants, mosses, fungi, lichens, worms and mammals that are resident in old-growth forests. And it is truly a book of wonders.

One of the things I had always wondered was how deer and elk could find sufficient food in an old-growth redwood forest, in which the browsable branch tips are hundreds of feet high. The answer: Although the herbaceous understory might be shaded out, a rain of lichen from the lofty canopy provides ample nitrogen-rich food for them. But what is a lichen? It is a magical symbiotic alliance between photosynthesizing algae and mineral-harvesting fungi! Mushroom salad. And I had no idea how amazingly diverse was the world population of lichens, especially within the remaining old-growth forests.

The most surprising thing I learned from this book was that the (mostly non-native) worms found in North American forests north of the ice-age moraines – areas that had once been covered in glacial ice – are in fact doing more harm than good to the forests in which they are found. In order to develop the rich biodiversity that enables a forest to thrive into grand old age, a thick layer of forest-floor duff must be allowed to accumulate. The moist, decaying duff at the surface of the forest floor supports diverse fungi, which in turn support diverse plant life, and allow for the germination of tree seeds, which might otherwise lie dormant. If too many worms begin churning under the duff, too quickly, that mechanism for growing diversity in the forest is disrupted, impeding the growth and healthy development of the forest! And I had always assumed that worms were good for the trees!

Live and learn.

In fact, there are so many new things to learn, in the pages of “Nature’s Temples,” that the book bears repeated readings. It is a definite must-have volume for the shelves of a Druid library.

[Jaime]

"Old growth is a stage in a forest's development, but one that not all forests reach. In order to reach old growth, a forest must have escaped destruction for a long enough period of time to allow natural biological and ecosystem functions to be the dominant influence. Some might call this a wild forest, meaning that it is capable of reproducing and maintaining itself." p 16

"Although the trees in an old-growth forest are older and larger, fewer trees grow there than in a younger forest. One reason for this is that most of the light is captured by the tall canopy trees. Younger trees in the understory must wait, almost in a suspended state, for their turn in the spotlight when they might get the extra sunlight they need and finally make it to the canopy. If too many decades go by without the needed light, the younger trees may die. But if one of the ancients dies first, the large area that its canopy formerly occupied is now flooded with light, as if a massive sunroof had just been installed. In this gap even herbaceous plants that need full sun can thrive. Younger trees race to fill the canopy space. All nearby trees, even the oldest, shift their growth slowly in response to the change. From a godlike height the canopy no longer looks uniform. Like a tooth missing from a child's mouth, the fallen tree has created a gap that results in an uneven canopy. In terms of biodiversity, the gaps are as important as the ancient canopy." p 17, or, on the need for people to retire sometimes.

"An estimated third of the increase in carbon dioxide since 1750 is due to removal of forests. But forests can only be protected locally..." p 35

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book and I love that it focuses on old growth forests in the east and in my home state of Maryland. I didn't realize there was so much old growth in the east! This book has a lot of information in a small number of pages. I have some background in ecology but I still had trouble wrapping my head around all the information in this book and would want to read it a second time to be able to more fully grasp some of the topics presented. However, I do spend a lot of time in the woods and read some things that will change the way I interact in the environment. I had no idea how many non native earthworms there are and how many got here from being used as bait! I also can away with a better understanding of lichens; I see lichens everywhere but never really knew if they were a plant or a fungus. Each chapter/topic has nice illustrations as well as personal stories from the author which helps the readability.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved her other book, Among the Ancients, which is also about old-growth forests. In that book, each chapter is dedicated to an old-growth forest in each state east of the Mississippi. This book is about the many layers, species, and intricacies that an old-growth forest has and repeatedly points out how & why our current model of forest and land management is deeply flawed (apparently when you mange anything solely for the sake of making money off of it, it creates lots of negative issues). She presents each part of the forest by chapter (moss & lichen, insects, fungi, trees, snails, worms, birds, etc). Each chapter builds upon the previous ones and you start to really understand how a forest works and why disturbances like clear cutting or even more careful selective harvesting have lasting and even devastating impacts on a forest ecosystem.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science writing for those of us who are lovers of nature but not very scientific. Ms. Maloof's book makes those lovers of nature, huggers of trees, keepers of pinecones, and builders of moss fairy villages smarter and more engaged in the "why" of it all. She gently teaches us that old is beautiful, and change is part of nature. The writing is backed up with data to get her point across and illustrations lovingly rendered to show us what to look for. I still can't tell the difference between lichen, mosses and liverwort but now I know they all play an important and unique roll in teaching us about the forest. Now I know that when a tree falls in the forest there is always someone there to hear it and anxious to make a home. And worms, I thought they were the good guys...

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on a Kindle. It is full of information about old-growth forests and brings to light a lot of the research which shows that once an old-growth forest is cut down or even becomes managed, we lose much of the bio-diversity of the forest, and that diversity won't return in our lifetime or longer. It will never be the same. There are species of moss, lichen, insects, etc. that we may not even know about that could become extinct when the last of the old-growth forests are taken over. After reading this book, I need a serious walk in a woods to ponder this, and to marvel at the beauty found there.

[Wendy Feltham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, full of wisdom and passion and extraordinary facts about old-growth forests. I had noticed the trees and mosses and lichens in old-growth forests, but never knew which birds, insects, and salamanders were indicator species of old-growth. Joan Maloof is an advocate for maintaining any remnants that still exist of old-growth forests due to the diversity of species found in every one, as well as their beauty. Although most of her examples focused on East Coast forests, and I only know West Coast forests, she mentioned so many details that will enhance my appreciation of every forest from now on. I hope many more people will read this book.

[Andrew (Drew) Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modest (in a good way) manifesto for leaving our old growth forests alone. The modesty comes from the scads of data. There are occasional piques of passion, which are a bit awkward at times given the style of writing, but she backs it all up with data. As a resident of the Pacific Northwest, I was pleased with the nods in our direction of the research done out here. But that she holds our old growth forests in such high regard in comparison to the east coast is disconcerting since we don't actually have much left ourselves. That BC has still not promised to protect our remaining old growth whole cloth is infuriating. This book shows the importance of maintaining what we have left.

[Peter North · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but a little too “white girl” for me the author overlooks indigenous involvement. The children’s book illustrations are a bit off putting when trying to juggle accurate information. She also seems in bed (moderate stance) with logging and as soon as I read fsc I rolled my eyes, her sympathy for the guy cutting down the oldest tree in the world for his expensive equipment was a bit first world problems for me. Old growth is too hot of a topic right now. Not every depiction is going to be great. It’s hard to find unique interpretations now-a-days even people who supposedly dedicate their lives to nature. This content would be more appropriate in a podcast. Save the paper.

[Rune · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy, introductory text that enriches the reader’s understanding of why forests — especially old-growth ones — are important to ecological health. Upon finishing this read, you will develop a newfound appreciation for nature in a fuller sense.

Perhaps this book’s single greatest oversight is how to think about the seemingly irreconcilable differences between conservationism, urban development, and economic growth. In my opinion, Maloof unfortunately does not attempt to provide a clear solution for the layperson.

Therefore, the reader may be inspired to look up other titles that attempt to address this critically important topic for modern society.

[Ashar Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a BEAUTIFUL book both how it’s written and the subject matter it covers.

This book is actually a journey to see how old-forest and new ones differ. In my own nature walks I did get a sense of how some forests have a vibe - like the place has never been touched but after reading this book - I know that there is a lot more to it than just vibes.

Each chapters of this book discusses a part of nature that can be used as an indicator to tell if the forest is old or new. The book is a must read.

[Patrickmalka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply a great book on old growth forests. Why they are useful from a variety of perspectives. I've found myself quoting parts to my students all week. While in no way an exhaustive academic work, it feels more like a comfortable conversation with a knowledgeable friend. Someone with a strong opinion and data to back it up. Old growth forests and their conservation is important and Nature's Temples is a great place to start if you're wondering why.

[Victoria Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully easy-read presentation of considerable detail about plants and animals that make an old-growth forest truly old-growth. If ever there's a book to reconnect you with true old-growth and its value to our future, this is it. Learned lots, thoroughly enjoyed and came away with renewed reverence for old-growth, how to identify it (not as simple as it sounds), and why we should be preserving it.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a treat! It gives insight and a new appreciation for the ecosystem and all its parts. While I did not always fully comprehend all the statistics or data presented, it was still easy to follow and a perfect introduction on the topic for any layman. Each chapter is short and succinct, yet rich with information. This book presents a full, important and factual argument for preserving old growth forests. I can only hope that more people will read it and take it's lessons to heart.

[💗]

a fine and humble introductory text. while i wish there were more details, i understand this treatise serves those outside the discipline with greater efficacy than it has to serve me. joan maloof is knowledgeable about her field and makes an effort to spotlight underappreciated contributors to the ecological community, such as worm, bryophyte, and lichen identifiers, which i admired her for exceptionally. andrew joslin's illustrations were spectacular as well!

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the subtitle of this was a little misleading - rather than a history of old growth forests, this was more a collection of connected essays on the broad scope of biodiversity in old growth forests compared to other forests combined with a look at the impact of old growth forests and their ecosystems. It was an engaging and accessible read and I appreciated all the different lenses the author used when considering the value and importance of an old growth forest.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses primarily on old growth forests of the Eastern North America, for which the author provides some detailed natural history information on various creatures and ecological processes. With a title such as this, however, it would have been more powerful to consider the global spectrum of Old Growth forests.

[Nasser Mohammed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great exposition on the importance of old-growth forests and the natural history of the organisms living in them. The chapter on fire in forests is very thought-provoking and would challenge the beliefs of many professional ecologists. My only criticism is that only North American forests are considered.

[John Waldum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Learned a lot of new knowledge. By the end you'll certainty get the notion that older growth forests are better than newer forests replanted after logging. I will be visiting my local old growth forests as soon as possible.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short overview of what makes old growth forests unique compared to younger and managed forests. The most striking aspect of the book is the way Maloof's infectious love of forests shines through her writing.

[Loretta Altman-Pollack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an educational #book !! A good one to keep with you while going into #forests

A whole #ecosystem explored and discussed. As well as the systematic destruction by humans of this irreplaceable wonder.

#ancientforests #naturestemples #oldgrowthforest #joanmaloof #nature

[Elexis Padron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is essentially a literature review of all things Old Growth Forests written for the everyday person. There a lot of cool info. At first I didn’t like her style of storytelling, but it really grew on me! I appreciated the use of tables for data visualization and I loved the illustrations!