Charles D. Canham | Yale University Press
in the history category by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Ingrid Burke, Dean of Yale School of the Environment:
“I found this book to be like a walk in the northeastern woods with an observant naturalist and scientist. These forests are case studies for the myriad of environmental changes facing all our global ecosystems: invasive species, disease, air pollution, climate change, and the ever-present human impacts. Canham provides both objective and optimistic views of the present and future of these resilient systems.”
The northeastern United States is one of the most densely forested regions in the country, yet its history of growth, destruction, and renewal are for the most part poorly understood—even by specialists. In this engaging look at both the impermanence and the resilience of the northeastern forest ecosystems, Charles D. Canham provides a synthesis of modern ecological research and explores critical threats that include logging, fire suppression, disease, air pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
Providing a historical perspective on how northeastern forests have changed since the arrival of European settlers, Canham also utilizes new theoretical models to predict how these ecosystems will change and adapt to an uncertain future. This is an informed and accessible investigation of an endangered natural landscape that examines the ramifications of the scientific controversies and ethical dilemmas shaping the future of northeastern forests.
*Charles D. Canham is senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.