<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: book should be called "Destroying Forests"
Review: I like this book even less than the other reviewer, but for the opposite reason. It would better be called "Destroying Forests," or "Understanding Forestry." The book purports to be enviromental in its orientation, and was put out by Sierra Club, but anybody who has been a forest activist at all (and I'm a longtime frontline environmental activist) would recognize that many places in this book--e.g., his treatment of so-called salvage logging--he has bought into the industry lies hook line and sinker. A very bad book on a very important topic.
Rating:
Summary: book should be called "Destroying Forests"
Review: I like this book even less than the other reviewer, but for the opposite reason. It would better be called "Destroying Forests," or "Understanding Forestry." The book purports to be enviromental in its orientation, and was put out by Sierra Club, but anybody who has been a forest activist at all (and I'm a longtime frontline environmental activist) would recognize that many places in this book--e.g., his treatment of so-called salvage logging--he has bought into the industry lies hook line and sinker. A very bad book on a very important topic.
Rating: 
Summary: A great read for all Forestry students
Review: John Berger is confused. He speaks of evolution and then uses Biblical quotes to support his theories. It can't be both ways!Berger 'personifies' trees and forests often throughout his book and he says they have a 'right to exist' in the preface. Berger's knowledge and understanding of eastern hardwood forests and harvesting techniques is obviously lacking. That being said, Understanding Forests would be a great read for all first-year forestry students in North American colleges and universities. It would point out many of the challenging questions and issues that forestry professionals will be faced with. The book should be re-read in the final semester of the degree program by these same students so that the students can evaluate the theories and ramifications of Berger's philosophies.
Rating:
Summary: A great read for all Forestry students
Review: John Berger is confused. He speaks of evolution and then uses Biblical quotes to support his theories. It can't be both ways! Berger 'personifies' trees and forests often throughout his book and he says they have a 'right to exist' in the preface. Berger's knowledge and understanding of eastern hardwood forests and harvesting techniques is obviously lacking. That being said, Understanding Forests would be a great read for all first-year forestry students in North American colleges and universities. It would point out many of the challenging questions and issues that forestry professionals will be faced with. The book should be re-read in the final semester of the degree program by these same students so that the students can evaluate the theories and ramifications of Berger's philosophies.
Rating: 
Summary: Berger's "Understanding Forests"
Review: This little book is a gem that should be on the shelf of every concerned citizen and activist who is working to save the world's disappearing forests. Understanding Forests provides a great introduction to forests and the threats to them, and what the average citizen can do to save forests. John Berger has a sure grasp of how forests function ecologically and the way forestry is done (mostly badly) nowadays. He has managed to boil these complex subjects down beautifully: Simple, readable, yet lyrical sentences capture the most important ideas and literature in the field. The writing flows smoothly from one idea to the next, never bogging down in excessive detail. I enjoyed every word and feel strongly in recommending the book to any reader who is interested in this crucial issue.
<< 1 >>
| 
