Download or read book Massachusetts and Her Forests written by Frank William Rane and published by . This book was released on 1919 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Trees at Risk written by Evelyn Herwitz and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Journal of Political Ecology, Vol. 8. Reviewed by Brent Evans and Carolyn Chipman Evans, Cibolo Nature Center, Boerne, TX. Evelyn Herwitz has contributed a major histori cal work with a strong environmental message in Trees At Risk: Reclaiming an Urban Forest. The City of Worcester, MA serves as the focal point for this evolving story of grassroots negligence and activism. The author is adept at uncovering the societal and industrial forces that carved a city out of the wilderness, and sometimes molded a little of the wilderness back into the city.An ambitious work, the book is a 200-page treasure with 16 pages of color photos, and numerous illustrations throughout. Nature lovers will also appreciate the occasional botanical information and illustrations of native trees.Trees At Risk is both a hopeful blueprint and a cautionary tale of what cities can do to protect and promote their urban forests, and what can happen if they do not. Ms. Herwitz is a skilled historian, but also a masterful wordsmith. For example: On a chill December afternoon when the hardwoods stand barren, their fallen leaves but sodden dregs of autumn's gold, Worcester's hues are clay and stone. Viewed from Mount St. James, once home to native Nipmucs, now to the College of the Holy Cross, the muted city melds with the dun-colored woodlands of surrounding hills - its red-brick factory buildings and cement offices crowding the valley floor, a glass-and-steel bank tower mirroring winter's slate sky, white and frown and beige three-deckers climbing rocky hillsides, the charcoal-gray swath of I-290snaking over streets.Come spring, though, there is green. First, a fine misting of chartreuse as the weeping willows unfurl their buds, then a wash of emerald as the sugar and Norway maples, the ashes, oaks and ginkgoes spread their leaves, until Worcester's swarthy face is softened by a sylvan veil. A city of aging factories and dreams of renewal, of ethnic pride and paternalism, of grit, ingenuity and determination, Worcester is also a city of trees.Her work reaches far beyond Worcester though, in its lessons and implications. She looks at the national picture of demising urban forests. Statistics abound: "the average life of a city tree is only 32 years - 13 if planted downtown - far short of the 150-year average life span of trees in rural settings." What's more, city tree planting and maintenance budgets have been slashed nationwide, and urban parks are also at risk. The story of the threat to Worcester's trees is the story of the relationship between Americans and nature - at times exploitative, at times romantic, and occasionally reverent. She gives a clear history of the local native landscape, and its gradual civilization. And, throughout the work she provides wonderful snippets of historical significance, like the quote from Genesis that English settlers liked to use to justify their taking of Native land: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." But, the settlers proved far more accomplished at subduing than replenishing, as have their offspring, even to this day.The sad history of the wasting of trees, deforestation, and industrial transformation are detailed, as are early conservation efforts in the mid-eighteenth century, and the first use ofpublic funds for tree planting, a century later. She follows the trend of the romantic ideal of pastoral land in rural cemetery design, through to the "Greening or Worcester" in 1885 with the planting of 500 trees by the Worcester Grange.The book traces the urban parks movement, and the inevitable growing demand for green space as the city expanded. Then, it chronicles the turn of the century, and the theme of "Wilderness Squandered." As the Worcester case study continues, Ms. Herwitz examined politics, the railroad, the Hurricane of "38, the Great Depression, ethnic politics and public parks, the Chestnut Blight, and Dutch Elm Disease.As the 20th century gathered momentum, the early precursors to land use controls and planned communities are seen and followed up to current times. As budget cuts and benign neglect took hold, a legacy was being squandered, and the trend was national. "A 1991 survey of urban tree care programs in 20 major American cities by the national conservation group American Forests revealed that nearly three-fourths of those communities had cut back funding for street trees, despite the fact that they had collectively planted only abut one tree for every four needed just to maintain their current tree census."Thus, the powerful story of an urban forest, lost and found again and again, teaches us to open our eyes in our own hometowns. The author then calls us to action, using global numbers that we have almost grown numb to: In the past 50 years, global deforestation and exponential acceleration of fossil fuel consumption and methane gas production have raised the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to about 25 to 30 % above levels that have prevailed for thepast 160,000 years, and could double by the 21st century.The arctic ice cap has thinned by 42%.The world's coral reefs have thinned by 27%.Rainforests could disappear in 25 - 30 years.Air pollution, acid rainIt all adds up, or maybe we should say, it all subtracts, down, down, down.But, she also provides us with hope. She points to good stewardship in Milwaukee, and other positive examples around the country. And, she discusses modern economic forces that are driven by the pressure of population growth and basic human nature. These economic forces are then seen as possible sources of support for the future of our urban forests.Our suggestion is that our cities do in fact have the economic and technological resources to grow magnificent urban forests, but they lack the political will. Further, we would say that political will, rooted in the minds and hearts of the public, can be won through education. There is an old Chinese proverb: "Think one year ahead - plant rice; think ten years ahead - plant trees; think one-hundred years ahead - educate people."And, we would finally suggest that North America's 1200+ nature centers are good places to look to. Nature centers teach environmental values, and are vital members of their communities. While school districts may be slow to advocate for social action or conservation, nature centers are busily doing just that.The education of all citizens, not just the young and not-yet-enfranchised, but the adults, the property owners, the industrial leaders, and our civic representatives - all need education. However, sending them facts and figures, and even sending them this wonderful book, will probably not do the trick. They spend the vast majority oftheir lives indoors. They need contact with nature. If you want to educate someone about the value of trees, take them to an arboretum, or a nature center, or a fabulous old urban park. Once inspired, Trees At Risk can help any community organizer understand what mistakes to avoid, what social forces are in play, and just how much truly is at risk.Evelyn Herwitz deserves the thanks of all the tree-huggers, tree-lovers, and even those not yet educated and inspired. As a boy, Brent's one great and often expressed fear of growing up was that he might someday no longer want to climb trees. Well, he's 54, and still climbing (every now and then)!
Download or read book Massachusetts and Her Forests written by HardPress and published by Hardpress Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
Download or read book Stepping Back to Look Forward written by Charles H. W. Foster and published by Harvard University Forest. This book was released on 1998 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely collection of essays - written by nine recognized forestry and environmental specialists - tells the story of the conservation, use, and changes in the Commonwealth's forests over time. The book traces the development of pre-settlement, colonial, and post-Revolutionary War forest practices, and concludes with recommendations as to how history might be used to inform and shape future policy. Underscored is the importance of private and local leadership, such as the unique Massachusetts town forest movement. Economic contributions and educational programs are detailed, as well as the ways Massachusetts' leadership has influenced national forestry. Written for the layperson, and reflecting the particular experience and style of each contributor, the history will appeal to a range of readers from local conservation activists to forestry professionals and policymakers.
Download or read book The Older Forest Plantations in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. State Forester and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Forestry in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. State Board of Agriculture and published by . This book was released on 1891 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Information that May Interest You about Forestry in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. State Forester and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Commercial Forest Trees of Massachusetts written by Daniel Allen Clarke and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Urban and Community Forests of New England written by David John Nowak and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifically this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefits. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report are reported for each state on the accompanying CD-ROM, and they may be accessed by state at http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban.
Download or read book A Report on the Trees and Shrubs Growing Naturally in the Forests of Massachusetts written by George Barrell Emerson and published by . This book was released on 1846 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Utilization of Forest Products in Massachusetts as Affected by the War written by Massachusetts. State Forester and published by . This book was released on 1918 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Trends in Massachusetts Forests written by Richard H. Widmann and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Massachusetts and Her Forests by Frank W Rane Emphasizing the Importance of the Work of Today in Providing for the Needs of the Future written by and published by . This book was released on 1919 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Commercial Forest Trees of Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. Division of Forestry and published by . This book was released on 1922 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Forest Nursery and Reforestation Work in Massachusetts written by R. S. Langdell and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book New England Forests Through Time written by David R. Foster and published by Harvard University Forest. This book was released on 2000 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three hundred years New England's landscape has been transformed. The forests were cleared; the land was farmed intensively through the mid-nineteenth century and then was allowed to reforest naturally as agriculture shifted west. Today, in many ways the region is more natural than at any time since the American Revolution. This fascinating natural history is essential background for anyone interested in New England's ecology, wildlife, or landscape. In New England Forests through Time these historical and environmental lessons are told through the world-renowned dioramas in Harvard's Fisher Museum. These remarkable models have introduced New England's landscape to countless visitors and have appeared in many ecology, forestry, and natural history texts. This first book based on the dioramas conveys the phenomenal history of the land, the beauty of the models, and new insights into nature.
Download or read book Annual Report of the Massachusetts State Forest Commission written by Massachusetts. State Forest Commission and published by . This book was released on 1918 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
