Synopses & Reviews
Forestsand#151;and the trees within themand#151;have always been a central resource for the development of technology, culture, and the expansion of humans as a species. Examining and challenging our historical and modern attitudes toward wooded environments, this engaging book explores how our understanding of forests has transformed in recent years and how it fits in our continuing anxiety about our impact on the natural world.
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Drawing on the most recent work of historians, ecologist geographers, botanists, and forestry professionals, Charles Watkins reveals how established ideas about treesand#151;such as the spread of continuous dense forests across the whole of Europe after the Ice Ageand#151;have been questioned and even overturned by archaeological and historical research. He shows how concern over woodland loss in Europe is not well foundedand#151;especially while tropical forests elsewhere continue to be clearedand#151;and unpicks the variety of values and meanings different societies have ascribed to the arboreal. Focusing on the British Isles but also forests in the United States, Greece, Italy, and France, Trees, Woods and Forests provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of humankindand#8217;s interaction with this abused but valuable resource.
Review
andldquo;Charcoal, warships, fruit, houses, shade and sheer beautyandmdash;the manifold uses of trees have bound them inextricably to human culture. Geographer Watkinsandrsquo;s interdisciplinary exploration of that long, convoluted relationship is a fact-packed dazzler. With Watkins we walk a Neolithic and#39;roadand#39; of ash planks, delight in Plinyandrsquo;s description of German forests as andlsquo;untouched by the ages and coeval with the world,andrsquo; celebrate the rise of scientific forestry and ponder the diseases and creeping urbanization now threatening the future of these stupendous organisms. Sumptuously illustrated.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Watkins constantly sets imaginative or lyrical appreciation against a stricter focus on forest and woodland management, and on human intervention in the landscape over the centuries. . . . Always brisk and informative, Watkins draws on a variety of disciplines. . . . The andlsquo;history of treesandrsquo; is constantly being rewritten,andrsquo; Watkins concludesandmdash;and his book is a welcome, lively and intriguing addition to this continuing line.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Rural geographer Watkinsandrsquo;s history of the interactions between humans and trees is both sprawling and highly detailed. . . . Weaves together evidence from the sciences (archaeology, genetics, ecology), the humanities (history, poetry, prose, painting), and the social sciences (politics, policy, economics) to document the ever-changing perception that Western culture has had of trees and forests.andrdquo;
About the Author
Charles Watkins is professor of rural geography at the University of Nottingham, UK. He is coauthor of
Uvedale Price 1747-1829: Decoding the Picturesque and
The British Arboretum: Science, Trees and Culture in the Nineteenth Century.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Ancient Practices
2. Forests and Spectacle
3. Tree Movements
4. Tree Aesthetics
5. Pollards
6. Sherwood Forest
7. Estate Forestry
8. Scientific Forestry
9. Recreation and Conservation
10. Ligurian Semi-natural Woodland
Afterword
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References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgments
Index