People, Forests, and Change: Lessons from the Pacific Northwest. Edited by Deanna H. Olson and Beatrice Van Horne, Island Press, 2017; 350 Pages. Price: Hardback $90, ISBN 9781610917667; Paperback $45, ISBN 9781610917674

From the timber we use to the oxygen in the air we breathe, humans are intimately connected to the complex forested ecosystems that many of us take for granted. Since the implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan, which provided management direction and incentives to protect the long-term health of forests in Washington and Oregon in 1994, knowledge of forest resources and landscape dynamics has changed significantly. As forests face increasing pressures from climate change and urban development, management strategies must evolve to consider the sustainability of both forests and the communities that depend on them. In bringing together an expert panel of social and forest scientists, this book lays the groundwork for a future where both humans and forests can thrive. Edited by ecologist Deanna H. Olson and USDA research manager Beatrice Van Horne, the book explores topics ranging from the effects of timber harvesting and fire on forest regrowth patterns, to watershed and landscape ecology, to temperature and precipitation shifts due to climate change and its impact on the Northwest region. Though specific examples focus on the Pacific Northwest, lessons drawn can be applied to a range of forests around the world.

About the authors: Deanna H. Olson is a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis, Oregon. Beatrice Van Horne is the director of the USDA Northwest Climate Hub at the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis; previously she was a professor of biology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

Critical acclaim: “Authored by a virtual Who’s Who of Pacific Northwest forest scientists, this book is the most current synthesis of what we know about the magnificent forests of the Pacific slope. To ignore it is to know less than you should if you are concerned about the future of this ecologically distinct and economically important resource. David Douglas and George Sudworth would be delighted”—John C. Gordon, Pinchot Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. “The book beautifully characterizes the past four decades of change in forest science and management, offering a future rich with promising ideas and tools”—Sally D. Collins, Cochair, MegaFlorestais, and former Associate Chief, US Forest Service.

Readership: Policy makers, forest and natural resource managers, students, and conservationists who wish to conscientiously and effectively manage forests and the human communities who depend on them.

Table of Contents

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Preface

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Section I: Frameworks for Moist Temperate Forest Management

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Chapter 1. Introduction: The Human–Forest Ecosystem

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Chapter 2. Setting the Stage: Vegetation Ecology and Dynamics

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Chapter 3. People and Forest Plants

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Chapter 4. Wood-Products Markets, Communities, and Regional Economies

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Chapter 5. An Ecosystem Services Framework

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Section II: Dynamic Systems as a New Paradigm

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Chapter 6. Ecosystem Services with Diverse Forest Landowners

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Chapter 7. Patterns of Change across the Forested Landscape: Change Exposure and Adaptation Potential across the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative

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Chapter 8. Learning to Learn: The Best Available Science of Adaptive Management

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Chapter 9. The Emergence of Watershed and Forest Collaboratives

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Section III: Science-Based Management: How Has New Science Shaped Our Thinking?

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Chapter 10. Silviculture for Diverse Objectives

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Chapter 11. Long-Term Forest Productivity

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Chapter 12. Managing Carbon in the Forest Sector

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Chapter 13. Biodiversity

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Chapter 14. Aquatic-Riparian Systems

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Chapter 15. Watersheds and Landscapes

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Section IV: Alternative Futures for Coniferous Forests

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Chapter 16. Climate-Smart Approaches to Managing Forests

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Chapter 17. Next-Generation Products and Greenhouse Gas Implications

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Chapter 18. Enhancing Public Trust in Federal Forest Management

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Chapter 19. Human–Forest Ecosystem Sustainability

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Chapter 20. Visions: 20 Years Hence

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List of Species

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About the Editors

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About the Contributors

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Index

* Editor’s Note:

A book review for People, Forests, and Change [1] from readers would be highly welcomed. We will send the book electronically to a reader interested in writing the book review.

The brief summary and the contents of the book are reported as provided by the author or the publishers. Authors and publishers are encouraged to send review copies of their recent books of potential interest to readers of Forests to the Publisher (Dr. Shu-Kun Lin, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), St. Alban-Anlage 66, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. Tel.: +41-61-683-77-34; Fax: +41-61-302-89-18, E-Mail: [email protected]). Some books will be offered to the scholarly community for the purpose of preparing full-length reviews.