All rights reserved. Copyright © 1997 by University Press of Kansas. Cover design by Rich Hendel. Cover illustration by Paul Landacre.
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Miller, Char, ed. American Forests: Nature, Culture, and Politics. Development of Western Resources. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1997.
This interdisciplinary collection of essays examines the history of forestry in the United States, exploring the impact of the discipline on natural and human landscapes since the mid-nineteenth century. Through important articles that have helped define the field, it assesses the development of the forestry profession and the US Forest Service, analyzes the political and scientific controversies that have marked forestry’s evolution, and discloses the transformations in America’s commitment to its forested estate.
American Forests highlights the intersection of the political, social, and environmental forces that have determined the use and abuse of American forests. It examines changes both in the assumptions that have defined forest management and in the scientific approach to—and political justification for—timber harvesting in our national forests. It sheds light on the ongoing debate between utilization and conservation, addressing arguments from environmentalists, the timber industry, sportsmen, and politicians while exploring the interaction between public opinion and public policy. It provides sharp insights into the most important players in the politics of forestry, from George Perkins Marsh and Berhard Fernow to Gifford Pinchot and Teddy Roosevelt. And it addresses issues as wide-ranging as budgeting, clearcutting, and the regulation of livestock grazing on national forest lands. (University Press of Kansas website text).
Char Miller is professor of history at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.