Customer Reviews

America's Ancient Forests: From the Ice Age to the Age of Discovery

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This book could have been titled America's Ancient Landscapes. One of the pleasant surprises about this book is that it deals with all types of landscapes: prairies, barrens, savannas, and all types of wetlands, as well as forests. For those of us in the Midwest, who deal with all of those types, this is a great bonus. Bonnicksen gives us the needed background, through the tremendous changes of the ice age and the plant migrations that followed, to the landscape affects of the Native Americans, to be able to knowledgeably manage natural areas, and restorations. The background on the Indians is so very thorough. You can't help but acquire a new impression of how important and ubiquitous their influence was. What I really like about this book is the complete documentation, done in the old fashioned way, with footnotes! The chapter on fire had 317 footnotes, all of which can be looked up in first the Notes and Citations, then in the extensive Bibliography, which alone covers 75 pages! This is a great reference work. If you can't afford it, get your local library to purchase a copy. I did!

Professor Bonnicksen has devoted his career to the care and protection of the forests. Where public relations folks talk the talk, Professor Bonnicksen walks the walk. Ancient Forests is a tour through history, a tour de forest that takes us from ancient lands and brings us to the present day, making us realize that from the forest we came and from the forests we shall go. A member of the Congressional Commission charged with oversight of American forest and land use and a devoted conservationist, Professor Bonnicksen in this brilliant volume brings many of his themes expounded in shorter articles and books together in a densely forested wood of pine and deciduous scented brilliance. After reading this book, no one will pass a tree and look at it the same, ever, again. Kudos to Professor Bonnicksen of Texas A & M University.

I found this book to be very well researched and written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural history of our great nation.

I found this book to be very well researched and written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural history of our great nation.