Forest Primeval: The Natural History of an Ancient Forest

by Chris Maser

This unique 'biography' encompasses a thousand years of the natural history and evolution of an old-growth forest in the western Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Called an "estimable piece of work" by the Boston Globe, Forest Primeval traces the life cycle of a forest from its fiery inception in the year 987 to the present day, when logging threatens the forest and its inhabitants.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Ecology, Environment, Biology, Historical, History

282 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

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

[Sara Van Dyck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maser spent his career studying, and loving, the forest, and this book brings together the science and the passion coming from his experiences.

To show the forest and the humans that live there in deep time as well as in space, he blends a fictionalized (but possible) story spanning hundreds of years, with information about one tree, a Douglas-fir, where it lives, its structure from needles to trunk, its history, the animals that live on or near it, and the local geology. It’s wonderful to realize how beetles, rotting wood, flying squirrels, and mycorrhizal truffles all conspire to keep the forest healthy. Beyond the science, Maser reveals to us the depth of feeling that a scientist can have for his subject.

The book is somewhat specialized to a particular locale, but for those in the Pacific Northwest I recommend reading it at least twice, first as a story and then to appreciate the complex interrelationships that Maser helps us see. I rated the book a high 4 instead of a 5 only because he spends too much time explaining the European and American human history taking place concurrently, with only a tenuous connection to his forest account. But it’s a touching, heart-felt book, a plea to care for what we are destroying. For a complementary book on trees, another fine choice is David Suzuki’s “Tree – A Life Story.”

[Mike Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent ecology read. However, the author's referencing of Indigenous Peoples in North America as part of the "New World" is wrong and disheartening considering a part of my family's background. That kind of language only sustains unjustifiable genocide. The land bridge theory also supports this same vein of thinking. See Vine Deloria's Red Earth White Lies for a better take on human history. If this author had just stuck with ecology this would have been an even better read.

[Jessica DMJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather poetic piece of non-fiction that retells the history of North America through the eyes of a thousand year-old forest and the vibrant lives of the individual creatures that live within it. Maser ultimately argues that the fate of humanity is interwoven with that of nature. This is a brilliant work of ecology, unlike any other I've seen before.

[Amory Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books. I felt the immortal cycle of a natural place, and how human history weaves itself, often inconsequentially and unimportantly, through its growth over a millennia. It was fascinating to learn about all of the critters that inhabit a forest over it's stages of growth.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Intro about ecotheology and then third person omniscient description of time passing over a thousand years from the perspective of the forest. Beautiful descriptive language at the scale of the animals.

[Tomas Palzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super kniha, jen by měla být kraší, některé pasáže jsou opravdu jako z Jiráska.

[Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the parts about the forest, though some of the transitions into animal life and habits were off-putting. But what drove this book down to two stars was the last 40-50 pages about colonization and Europeans. I read this book for the forest, not a review of Northwestern exploitation by white men. The forest description is fantastic; just skip the last bit.

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating approach, going back millions of years in history to describe a Northwest U.S. forest. I was overwhelmed by the detail and by the author’s environmental Romanticism, but I’m glad I read it, because it was an entirely different experience.

[angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovingly crafted and complex. everything in this world has significance