Nature's Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests Revised and Expanded PDF
Preview Nature's Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests Revised and Expanded
Nature’s Temples Nature’s Temples A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests Revised and Expanded Joan Maloof Illustrated by Andrew Joslin Princeton University Press Princeton and Oxford Other books by Joan Maloof Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest Among the Ancients: Adventures in the Eastern Old- Growth Forests The Living Forest: A Visual Journey into the Heart of the Woods Treepedia: A Brief Compendium of Arboreal Lore Copyright © 2016, 2023 by Joan Maloof. llustrations copyright © 2023 by Princeton University Press. Princeton University Press is committed to the protection of copyright and the intellectual property our authors entrust to us. Copyright promotes the progress and integrity of knowledge. Thank you for supporting free speech and the global exchange of ideas by purchasing an authorized edition of this book. If you wish to reproduce or distribute any part of it in any form, please obtain permission. Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to [email protected] Published by Princeton University Press 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 99 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6JX press.princeton.edu All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Maloof, Joan, 1956– author. | Joslin, Andrew, illustrator. Title: Nature’s temples : a natural history of old-growth forests / Joan Maloof ; illustrated by Andrew Joslin. Description: Expanded and revised edition. | Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2023] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022026589 (print) | LCCN 2022026590 (ebook) | ISBN 9780691230504 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780691230702 (e-book) Subjects: LCSH: Old growth forests. | Biodiversity. | BISAC: NATURE / Plants / Trees | NATURE / Ecology Classification: LCC SD387.O43 M33 2016 (print) | LCC SD387.O43 (ebook) | DDC 333.75—dc23/eng/20220923 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026589 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026590 British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available Cover illustrations and frontispiece by Andrew Joslin This book has been composed in Lyon Text Printed on 100% postconsumer recycled paper Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In memory of William Landy Cook III (Will) November 17, 1942— November 27, 2021 Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi 1 What Is an Old- Growth Forest? 1 2 The History of Forests 7 3 The Oldest Trees 17 4 Birds in the Forest 31 5 Amphibians in the Forest 39 6 Snails in the Forest 47 7 Insects in the Forest 55 8 Herbaceous Plants in the Forest 71 9 Mosses in the Forest 83 10 Fungi in the Forest 91 11 Lichens in the Forest 105 12 Worms in the Forest 119 13 Mammals in the Forest 129 14 Humans and the Forest 139 15 Forests and Water 149 16 Forests and Carbon 157 17 Fire in the Forest 169 18 The Largest Trees 181 Source Notes 195 Index 211 Preface Forests have sprung naturally from the earth with no help required from humans. Although trees are the most obvious part of a for- est, many, many other life forms exist there as well. The measure of this variety of life forms is termed biodiversity. The past ten thousand years have seen a drastic reduction in bio diversity due to human activities, primarily the way we manipulate the land. Many species have disappeared completely. Harvesting wood products from forests is one way that humans affect the land. In this book we look specifically at how the life forms in an ancient undisturbed forest, including the trees, differ from the life forms in a forest manipulated by humans. The details are shared in these pages, but I will give you the conclusion up front: more spe- cies exist in old- growth forests than in the forests we manage for wood products, and some species exist only in older forests. In the chapters ahead you will frequently see old- growth for- ests compared to managed forests, so perhaps it is useful to clarify these terms right away. The forests that have formed naturally over a long period of time with little or no disturbance we call old- growth forests. In contrast, managed forests are the result of purposeful human action. Management techniques include log- ging, thinning, burning, planting, and spraying. Forests can be managed in many different ways and for many different reasons, but most often they are managed to grow timber for particular wood products that result in a financial return. Although wood is a wonderful renewable resource, and most owners of forestland are now careful to replant after harvesting, it is a misconception that typical forest management can conserve all forest biodiversity. Scientific evidence tells us otherwise. In
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