Environmental writer Seth Zuckerman will present his new book “A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry” at the Dungeness River Nature Center on May 23.
It might read as obvious to say that forests are not stores, but it seems that many view them as temporary holding-centers for lumber. The reality is that for some time forests seemed like inexhaustible resources, and like many other natural resources forest lands were plundered in excess.
In reaction to this excess, environmentalists and regulatory agencies have clamped down to protect these most precious ecosystems. In doing so however, even well informed approaches to forest management actions can be bogged down in administrative and bureaucratic processes.
“There’s a place for human stewardship of the forest,” Zuckerman said in a recent interview, “but we just have to start with a different question we have to ask not, ‘What can we take from the forest?’ but ‘What kind of forest do we leave behind when we’re done with whatever management action we’re taking?’”
According to Zuckerman, if these questions lead our approach to thinking about stewarding the forest, we will consider a more full view of what the forest has to offer.
He outlines what a whole forest is: “Not just timber, it provides water, recreation, biodiversity, carbon storage, and for some people spiritual up-lift.”
Co-authored with Kirk Hanson, “A Forest of your Own” is an accessible primer on forest stewardship.
Perhaps most directly applicable to forest owners or people looking to buy forest land, the book is dense with information that the average reader will find interesting.
Photo by Nick Zuckerman / Author Seth Zuckerman will speak about his new book, “A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry,” at the Dungeness River Nature Center on May 23.
The book covers a wide range of topics from stand establishment and thinning, wildfire risk reduction, streams and watershed protection, the economic benefits of ecological forestry and more.
“What stood out to me about his book was the incorporation of stewardship in forest management practice,” said Montana Napier, education manager at the Dungeness River Nature Center. She sees the book as, “an invaluable resource for current and aspiring landowners on the Peninsula.”
Zuckerman will present his book along with a slideshow at 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, at the Nature Center. This event is free and open to the public.
‘A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry’
Book presentation, conversation with author Seth Zuckerman
When: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23
Where: Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W Hendrickson Road
Admission: Free
More event info: 360-681-4076, dungenessrivercenter.org/program/a-forest-of-your-own-book-talk-2
More author info: sethzuckerman.com
