Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwest

by Elliott A. Norse, Peter H. Raven (Foreword)

Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwest provides a global context for what is happening in the Pacific Northwest, analyzing the remaining ancient forest and the threats to it from atmospheric changes and logging. It shows how human tampering affects an ecosystem, and how the Pacific Northwest could become a model for sustainable forestry worldwide.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Ecology, History, Environment

344 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1989

Reviews

[Jostalady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my Biology Forest Habitats class textbook. It was written in 1989 so our instructor had to give us updates and some minor changes to compliment it, such as a frog in Australia being renamed and more updated data on forest destruction and projections. Under President Clinton there was a major effort to slow forest destruction and there is a lot that has come after this book. That said, it gives a very solid explanation of forest types, the role forests play on our planet, the importance of species and genetic diversity, the facts about Global Warming and how it will impact forests, the amount of old growth destruction and simplification, explaining controversies, ecosystems, logging practices, forest fires and fire suppression and how to balance the needs of economic use and long term sustainability with a clearly laid out plan for how to recover and move forward in a scientifically meaningful way. I am grateful my teacher chose this book, as I would otherwise have overlooked it as being outdated. It is well written and has wonderful explanations applicable to understanding our role in and the importance of change from the individual to the systemic.

[Daniel J. Nickolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful book about the short term and long term economic, ecologic, and social value of forests. While Norse talks specifically about undisturbed forests of America’s Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Northern California), the information provided likely applies to any of Earth’s forests in some capacity.

The first two chapters of Norse’s work are a bit list intensive – information is basic, but heavily expanded upon – however, each chapter from 3 through 9 is filled with fascinating information about how forests work in nature, as well as how we humans use and interact with forests. Norse’s criticisms of the timber industry are ultimately negative, but this negativity does not come from a “hug a tree” stance, but rather a stance built on the idea that we humans have a lot to learn about the intricacies of forests and how to manage them.

One of the many fascinating aspects Norse focuses on is how complex and unique the organisms that make up forests (primarily the kingdom plantae) can be. Only recently have humans discovered that trees can warn each other about invading parasites so that uninfected trees can perform preemptive defenses; only recently have we come to understand the mycorrhizae, a symbiotic system of tree roots and fungi that help each other survive and thrive by exchanging nutrients; only recently have we discovered that there is nothing we can do, in under two centuries, to recreate something that even remotely resembles the old growth forests we cut down. To assume less of these organism’s complexity is to inevitably harm ourselves. And it is ourselves Norse asks that we study.

The theme beyond education in Elliott A. Norse’s book is the idea that our mistrust of one another, based on differing values on logging and preservation, is the greatest detriment to forests. If we humans can accept that we currently rely on paper and wood to thrive, and that forests are complex ecosystems comprised of astoundingly complex organisms with their own adaptations to a specific way of life, maybe then we can find a way to protect our economic investments, as well as one of the most important aspects of the planet we call home.