Forest for the Trees: How Humans Shaped the North Woods

by Jeff Forester

Author Jeff Forester describes how humans have occupied and managed the northern borderlands of Minnesota, from tribal burning to pioneer and industrial logging to evolving conceptions of wilderness and restoration forestry. On the surface a story of Minnesota's borderlands, The Forest for the Trees more broadly explores the nation's history of resource extraction and wilderness preservation, casting forward to consider what today?s actions may mean for the future of America?s forests. From early settlers and industrialists seeking the pine forests' wealth to modern visitors valuing the tranquility of protected wilderness, the region known today as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has offered assorted treasures to each generation. By focusing on the ecological history of the BWCAW's Winton watershed, Forester shows how the global story of logging, forestry, conservation, and resource management unfolded in the northern woods of Minnesota. The result is a telling exploration of human attitudes toward wilderness: the grasp after a forest?s resources, the battles between logging and tourist interests, and decades of conservation efforts that have left northern Minnesota denuded of white pine and threatened with potentially devastating fire. The result of a decade of research, The Forest for the Trees chronicles six phases of human interaction with the BWCAW: tribal, burning the land for cultivation; pioneering, harvesting lumber on a small scale; industrial, accelerating the cut and consequently increasing the fire danger; conservation, reacting to both widespread fires and unsustainable harvest levels; wilderness, recognizing important values in woodlands beyond timber; and finally restoration, using prescribed burns and other techniques to return the forest to its "natural" state. Whether promoted or excluded, one constant through these phases is fire. The Forest for the Trees explores how tribal people burned the land to encourage agriculture, how conservationists and others later fought fire in the woods by completely suppressing it, and finally how scientific understanding brought the debate full circle, as recent controlled burns in the BWCAW seek to lessen significant fuel loads that could produce fires of unprecedented magnitude.

Genres: Nonfiction

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense read, it is well researched and documented. Through the focus on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota, Forester taps on the wider history of land use policy affecting ecological change in the United States. It gave me a different lens, the forest, by which to understand how policy reflects attitude and, too often, limited understanding of bigger processes. Case in point is how denuding forests of large trees and fire suppression have led to a lack of diversification and resilience in forest environments, subjecting them to the current phenomenon of wildfires of atypical intensity.

I think back to the Greek myth of Prometheus bringing fire to mankind. Forester states for the United States what is probably true for the entire planet, “Anthropomorphic fire defined the advancing line of settlement” (3).

Forester is to be commended for his evenhanded treatment of the indigenous peoples and of the logging industrialists who created the settlements in this region. Noteworthy are details on the daily life of a logger and the creative technologies they used to overcome the harsh terrain and weather challenges in getting the lumber out. He does not hold back on how industrialists skillfully used loopholes in the Homestead Act and other laws to buy land cheaply and avoid regulations if it meant a bigger profit.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an environmental science/ecology nerd who grew up in Northeastern MN and spends lots of time in the Superior National Forest/BWCA, this book was fascinating! I learned a ton and will see familiar places through new eyes now. It was densely packed with information but still kept me interested throughout. Anyone interested in the ecological history of Northeastern MN or the impact of fire management methods on forestry would enjoy this book.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forest for the Trees was very well researched--at times, almost to a fault. In the first half of the book, I was overwhelmed with how many facts Forester was cramming onto each page. As the history approaches the 20th century, however, things got more interesting, and Forester did an excellent job summarizing the broad take-aways relevant to the northern Minnesota woods. I would recommend only to someone with a specific interest in the topic.

[John Mcinerney · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book and fascinating theory, with compelling evidence, that indians shaped the land, preventing forest fires and making the forest sustainable and healthy