Finding the Forest: The Initiation

Rating:
Summary: Important and enjoyable essays on forests.
Review: I read "Finding The Forest" from my personal perspective of having forged a long driveway through our forest, often following hints of old logging roads - having built a home in the woods and watched as the second-growth forest matured around me. I have planted hundreds of trees in near-by fallow fields and gazed with awe and longing at huge white pine stumps found throughout the area. The forest is part of my home and a major part of my photographic travels.

What I discovered in "Finding the Forest" was an affirmation of common feelings, and the guiding hand of an expert offering fresh perspectives, such as in the chapter "Red Pine Maligned." Here, Peter rebuts the common notion of a red pine plantation being "an ecological desert" with a first-hand tour of his growing forest and the diversity found within it.

In a time when debate over forest management policies are often driven more by sentiment than by science, "Finding the Forest" offers woodland owners a good read and an excellent guide to looking at their own forest through the eyes of a professional forester.

Craig Blacklock, Nature Photographer

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Private Woodland Owners That Like Forests
Review: Peter's stories reflect a personal evolution of thought about forests and forestry. The episodic events are weaved into a colorful anthology of tales that are easy reading but can be deeply thought provoking. There's a solid base of practical stewardship philosophy that many forest owners would do well to consider. Lessons that have been learned and shared demonstrate a balance between people and nature that is more down-to-earth and applicable than most "nature-writers." The experiences delightfully illustrate a love of forest management tempered by the realities of natural processes. In this age of frequent conflict over natural resource issues, often single-use issues, this book offers a well-written respite that gently explores the quiet process of learning and living with the forest. "Finding the Forest" fits well into the forest landscape. It is simply written and expresses a wealth of unpretentious wisdom.