The Trees in My Forest

Rating:
Summary: Trees are people too!
Review:
If you love books about wild animals and wish that someone would write about trees, this book is for you. Heinrich takes you to his forest in Maine and explores the trees in it. Some have personalities, and they live as part of a community of trees, animals and sometimes people.

Heinrich writes well, as readers of his other books know. Again, his natural curiosity shines through, as does his storytelling and teaching abilities.

The book includes a wonderful set of drawings by Heinrich. Unfortunately, most of them aren't discussed in the text so it's hard to know what to make of them.

Much as I enjoyed the book, I wish that Heinrich had spent some time on tree identification. It would be much easier for me to observe the trees in my forest -- if I had a forest -- if I knew all their names.

Those criticisms aside, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I also came away with an understanding of how a true forest differs from the monoculture tree farms that are taking over parts of our country. While he walks us through his experiences trying to maintain a forest, he also provides lessons in sustainable forestry.




Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining-- different from others in the genre
Review: Heinrich has devoted an entire book to the acres of forest surrounding his home, examining them from a variety of different viewpoints and extrapolating from them in order to impart information about trees and forests everywhere.
Writing:
I found this to be a very interesting book, with Heinrich's ongoing experiments and insightful observations taking center stage. His insertion of self into the story of the woods is distracting, except for when he relates his actual activities impacting the forest. To clarify: I want to hear how he makes his forest an economically beneficial entity by planting and culling trees, but I don't want to hear about a moonlit trek through the forest on snowshoes for the sole purpose of stringing together a bunch of pretty adjectives on the off chance that he will engender compliments as to his literary talents.
What I learned:
A lot about trees, of course. One thing that was of particular interest was the way that trees grow to cope with their immediate environs. For example, a tree will point its branches upward so that ice won't form near the tips, and thereby rip the branch from the tree through sheer weight. The tree doesn't do this on purpose, of course, but any poorly-designed branches are ripped out over time, so you wind up with a tree perfectly suited for its particular locale. Another interesting bit of news was the way that trees develop a symbiotic relationship with certain species of insects, such as ants. The ants can eat a minimal amount of foliage without really hurting the tree, and the tree in turn is guarded by the ants from other, more harmful browsers.


Rating:
Summary: I'll never look at a tree the same way again
Review: Heinrich is a wonderful writer; while his work may lack the scientific vigor of a true academic text, this is natural science on a personal level. He brings his personal passion for the natural world to his writing, and the result is a really engaging work that will appeal to any lay person interested in the natural world. When I was done with the book, I wanted to run off and buy a dozen acres or so of Maine forest myself.

This book is a good place to start with Heinrich's overall works--he takes a similar, personal approach to the natural sciences with his "Mind of the Raven" and "One Man's Owl."

Rating:
Summary: I'll never look at a tree the same way again
Review: Heinrich is a wonderful writer; while his work may lack the scientific vigor of a true academic text, this is natural science on a personal level. He brings his personal passion for the natural world to his writing, and the result is a really engaging work that will appeal to any lay person interested in the natural world. When I was done with the book, I wanted to run off and buy a dozen acres or so of Maine forest myself.

This book is a good place to start with Heinrich's overall works--he takes a similar, personal approach to the natural sciences with his "Mind of the Raven" and "One Man's Owl."

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring book
Review: I enjoyed every chapter and I especially appreciated the author's hand drawn illustrations. I also learned a lot about how forests develop and the importance of biological diversity. I think that I will now see a lot more when I walk in forest. Like the other reviewer, I feel inspired to acquire some acres of logged out land up North and let the forest grow!

Rating:
Summary: Meanders a bit, but otherwise very good
Review: Imagine combining the wisdom of a trained naturalist with the heart of a caretaker - a healthy love and respect for trees on one hand and a trained eye for and the knowledge of how and why a forest operates on the other. Now throw in a large patch of land that serves as a giant laboratory, playground and limitless teacher and you have a cool concept.

"The Trees in My Forest" is like a series of informative, meandering walks through the woods with a wise, old Grandfather. From the mostly misunderstood and much maligned fungi which recycle tree roots into soil fo new trees to grow, to the structures which allow some trees to grwo to the top of the forest canopy and others which survive at only a few inches off the ground, the mystery of trees amd forests are opened up.

Much like Tom Brown, Jr. did for impressions in the ground in his playground in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in "The Tracker", Bernd Heinrich does for trees in the forests of Maine. I don't like it as much as Brown's Tracker series, in part because it occassionally loses me on the trail. Still, an interesting (if difficult to follow, sometimes) tale.

Rating:
Summary: A magical book to be read by anyone who loves plants
Review: Okay, if you are a plant lover as I am, you have to read this book. But anyone can read it and enjoy it. It tells of this man's experiences in the woods around his property. Also, don't skip over the introduction. It is extremely interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Really gets into nature

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating introduction to forestry
Review: The Trees in My Forest is an excellent book for anyone interested in the woods. If you have ever wandered down a wooded path and wondered about the trees that you see, this is the book that will explain their roles in the ecology of the forest. In addition, Heinrich's experience inspires the reader; ever since I read this book, I've had a burning desire to grab a plot of deforested land somewhere up north and nurse it back to healh as he did.

Rating:
Summary: MUST reading for anyone who owns a woodlot.
Review: This is probably the best book on woodlot management I've read in the past 20 years. It is fascinating reading. Bernd Heinrich, a biology professor at the University of Vermont, knows his stuff, makes it interesting and yet doesn't talk down to the average reader. He manages to combine sound forestry with sustainable ecological practices and does so with humor, anecdotes and personal observations. Anyone who enjoys the outdoors will find this book hard to put down.