Wars in the woods
Subtitle: the rise of ecological forestry in America
By: Samuel P. Hays
Edition: 1st ed
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Pittsburgh, Pa
Language: eng
Number of pages: 277
ISBN-13: 9780822943280; 9780822959403
Subjects: Forest reserves -- United States; Forest policy -- United States; Forest management -- United States; Forests and forestry -- Political aspects -- United States; Forest ecology -- United States
Description: Wars in the Woods examines the conflicts that have developed over the preservation of forests in America, and how government agencies and advocacy groups have influenced the management of forests and their resources for more than a century. Samuel Hays provides an analysis of manipulations of conservation law that have touched off a battle between what he terms "ecological forestry" and "commodity forestry." Hays also reveals the influence of the wood products industry, and the training of U.S. Forest Service to value tree species marketable as wood products, as the primary forces behind forestry policy since the Forest Management Act of 1897. Wars in the Woods gives a comprehensive account of the many grassroots and scientific organizations that have emerged since then to combat the lumber industry and other special interest groups and work to promote legislation to protect forests, parks, and wildlife habitats. It also offers a review of current forestry practices, citing the recent Federal easing of protections as a challenge to the progress made in the last third of the twentieth century. Hays describes an increased focus on ecological forestry in areas such as biodiversity, wildlife habitat, structural diversity, soil conservation, watershed management, native forests, and old growth. He provides a framework for the critical assessment of forest management policies and the future study and protection of forest resources.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index
Table of contents: title: New and old forestry: a confrontation in the making; title: Shaping an ecological forestry program; title: The national response to ecological forestry; title: Ecological forestry in the states; title: The Pennsylvania story: missed opportunities; title: The skirmishes become a full-scale war; title: In search of the future forest