This book is an ideal companion for anyone working in the field of community forestry. Joint Forest Management, as the new approach to managing forests situated close to human settlements has been called, is a thing of future. This handy manual draws upon extensive experience of working with communities in the North Indian state of Haryana. The book examines all the aspects of particiaptory rural planning and arrives at two formats, one for village level data collection sheet and the other for writing the final document (the microplan). It is now widely agreed that planned development which incorporates the choices of the people is the best and the only legitimate approach in striving to acheive sustainable development. Now with a comprehesnsive coverage of the microplanning methodology in this book, there need not be a plethora of different versions of 'microplanning' and related formats of documents. The term 'microplanning' itself finds a meaningful usage with the publication of this book.

This book uses an outline approach to simplify tree identification. It is not a traditional field guide. Following the outline, you can zero in on a single tree subspecies, or narrow down your selection to a few.

It is a good companion to the Audubon Trees: Eastern Region. Unlike the Audubon guide, you cannot "leaf" through pages of similar trees looking for the one you are standing in front of. On the other hand, I often find myself looking at Minnesota Trees first, then checking the Audubon field guide photographs to verify my finding.

I'm glad I bought this book.

"Mookie's Secret" is a well written story that touches on some serious issues, namely "abandonment" AND "fear of being different".Upon reaching an orphanage, Mookie,the little beaver is warmly accepted but is afraid that the other critters will discover his embarrasing secret and will make fun of him. After hearing a joke, Mookie's secret is revealed - his laughter reveals his humongous teeth. Not knowing that he is a beaver and that he is SUPPOSED to have big teeth, he runs away only to find other beavers. His newly found friends help him to discover that his secret is really a blessing rather than something to be ashamed of. Mookie returns to the orphanage and uses his unique gift and newly found confidence to become part of the group in a new and exciting way. ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BEAUTIFUL!

This book offers interviews and facts from all of the strategic players - not just one facet. This requires the reader to form their own educated opinions regarding the use of one of our precious natural resources - trees. It makes you look at how policy and programs over the years have affected lives and forests in the USA. It is an excellent source of facts and after reading a friend's copy, I had to get my own!

If you're new to the seattle area and want to explore the best parks around, this is the book for you. It has maps of trails in nearby parks, lists hours and features, and has two or pages of summaries about each park. It lists out which trails are steep, which ones dogs or horses can go on, where there are picnic facilities, parking, and anything else you'd need to know.

This books lists almost 250 parks, forests and other natural areas throughout the state of NJ and describes the recreational activities and facilities at each. Activities include fishing, boating, hunting, picnicing, camping, swimming and more. Also included are phone numbers for administrative offices and town recreational departments. The book is nicely organized by county regions and although no maps are included, directions for each area from a major highway are outlined.

Describing the Oregon Coast Range could be a rugged task, but author Jane Claire Dirks-Edmund takes a graceful approach.

She explores a life of living in the ancient forest of Saddleback Mountain, known today as Saddle Bag Mountain, on the Van Duzer Corridor in Lincoln County. Covering a 60 year segment, Dirks-Edmund writes of a captivating tale of the mighty Douglas-firs, cedars and hemlocks that once grew there.

But as with anything, there's more to the story. This book is also about the lives of great and small creatures and plants, of slugs and worms, spiders and bugs, butterflies and birds, lichens and mosses.

This in-depth study has never been undertaken on a single western forest before, nor is it likely to ever be repeated, according to the publisher WSU Press. The title of the book refers to the fact that more than trees make up a forest.

It reveals all that is lost when an ancient forest is destroyed and the story of a tenacious woman, an ecologist who studied Oregon flora and fauna before there were guidebooks. The author stresses that this is not a technical book and one that could be enjoyed by anyone interested in the nature and ecology of the Northwest.

Dirks-Edmund began studying a small parcel of ancient forest in western Oregon while an undergraduate student, working with her mentor, James A. Macnab, at Linfield College in McMinnville. After several more years of schooling and teaching, she returned to studying her beloved forest through its logging in the 1940s and clear cutting in the 1980s.

Not Just Trees is a story close to Dirks-Edumund's heart which is shown through the pages with a passionate intensity. The deeper one reads into the book, the more her love for the forests wears on the reader. It inspires those who are concerned about what has been lost to have hope for the future of forests.

The okapi was discovered in 1901 and is sometimes called the forest giraffe. Little was known about it until recently; it lives in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (previously known as Zaire). The okapi is very unique and only about 200 are found in captivity; wild populations are threatened. This is the first book in English about this endangered species. The book brings together all that is known about the okapi in a very readable format and is illustrated with lovely drawings by one of the authors. The book is introduced by renowned scientist Dr. Jane Goodall; ALL royalties are used in the country of Congo-Zaire to preserve the rainforest, the okapi and all the other plants and animals which call this place home.

The photos of the Oregon I knew growing up are superb. This book brings back fond memories of the Oregon forests. My family and I now live in Florida so need this book as a wonderful memory refresher.

For anyone who has or may have anything to do with forests, now or in the future, including environmentalists, students, educators and the like, this book is a must read.

The author takes a touchy subject by the horns and without wresteling it to the ground, certainly shakes it.

The author has his points well thought out, and very well proven as well.

If you think the practice of clear cutting is cut and dry then you should probably have a gander at this book. No doubt it will shake what small eyed view you may have of the world we live in.