American Forests: Nature, Culture, and Politics (Development of Western Resources) [Paperback]

Char Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0700608494 | ISBN-13: 978-0700608492

Endangered ecosystem or renewable resource? How we feel about forests has to do with more than trees. This interdisciplinary collection of essays examines the history of forestry in the United States, exploring the impact of the discipline on natural and human landscapes since the mid-nineteenth century. Through important articles that have helped define the field, it assesses the development of the forestry profession and the U.S. Forest Service, analyzes the political and scientific controversies that have marked forestry's evolution, and discloses the transformations in America's commitment to its forested estate. American Forests highlights the intersection of the political, social, and environmental forces that have determined the use and abuse of American forests. It examines changes both in the assumptions that have defined forest management and in the scientific approach to-and political justification for-timber harvesting in our national forests. It sheds light on the ongoing debate between utilization and conservation, addressing arguments from environmentalists, the timber industry, sportsmen, and politicians while exploring the interaction between public opinion and public policy. It provides sharp insights into the most important players in the politics of forestry, from George Perkins Marsh and Berhard Fernow to Gifford Pinchot and Teddy Roosevelt. And it addresses issues as wide-ranging as budgeting, clearcutting, and the regulation of livestock grazing on national forest lands. This multifaceted volume draws on the insights of scholars in conservation and ecology, economics, history, law, and political science to make a definitive contribution to the study and practice of forestry. By both clarifying and extending recent debate about the political purpose, scientific character, and environmental rationales of forestry in America, it will help define the place of forests in our future.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"There is great value to bringing these peices together. The line-up of authors is impressive indeed."--Thomas Cox, author of The Park Builders and This Well-Wooded Land

About the Author

Char Miller is professor of history at Trinity University. He has published extensively on U.S. forestry and is the author of Gifford Pinchot: The Evolution of An American Conservationist.

Contributors: Thomas G. Alexander, Arnold W. Bolle, David Clary, Richard L. Clow, Stephen Haycox, Nancy Langston, Char Miller, Donald J. Pisani, John Reiger, William G. Robbins, Dennis Roth, Hal K. Rothman, Susan Schrepfer, Harold K. Steen, Robert E. Wolfe

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University Press Of Kansas (October 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700608494
• ISBN-13: 978-0700608492
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,611,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Char Miller, who grew up in Darien, CT, received his BA from Pitzer College, and his MA and Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University. For 26 wonderful years, he taught U. S. history and urban studies at Trinity University in San Antonio. Now he directs the Environmental Analysis Program at Pomona College (Claremont CA), where he is the W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis. Miller has served as Associate Editor of Environmental History and the Journal of Forestry, is a Contributing Writer for the Texas Observer, a Senior Fellow at the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, and writes a column for KCET (Los Angeles), entitled Golden Green, which focuses on environmental issues in California and the west.