United States
£ GBP
Tree by Tree is a warning and a toolkit for the future of forest recovery. Scott Meiners investigates the critical biological threats endangering tree species native to the forests of eastern North America, providing a needed focus on this plight. If we are to save our forests, Meiners suggests, the first step is to recognize the threats in front of us.
Meiners focuses on five familiar trees – the American elm, the American chestnut, the eastern hemlock, white ash, and sugar maple – and shares why they matter economically, ecologically, and culturally. From outbreaks of Dutch elm disease to infestations of emerald ash borers, Meiners highlights the challenges that have led to or will lead to their disappearance from forests. In doing so, he shows us how diversity loss often disrupts intricately balanced ecosystems and how vital it is that we pay more attention to massive changes in forest composition.
With practical steps for the conservation of native tree species, Tree by Tree offers the inspiration and insights we need to begin saving our forests.
Scott Meiners is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Eastern Illinois University.
"A must read for anyone interested in achieving a sustainable relationship with the natural world. Our only hope in saving our forests – and save them we must – is to understand appropriate responses to these threats. Scott Meiners provides this essential knowledge and the motivation to act on it!"
– Douglas Tallamy, author of The Nature of Oaks
"Scott Meiners brings to bear a deep love and wide knowledge of trees to explain the many threats that imperil our eastern forests. If Aldo Leopold was right and we will only save what we appreciate, Tree by Tree is just the kind of book we need now."
– Susan Freinkel, author of American Chestnut
"In this wonderful book, Meiners deftly introduces readers to some of the trees we love and their unfortunate fates in the face of exotic introduced pests and pathogens while offering an overview of the biogeography of relatedness."
– Mark S. Ashton, Yale University, author of The Practice of Silviculture
