The ecology of the ever-changing Maine forest

Revised and updated 2018. This book divides Maine's landscape into smaller pieces - 'natural communities' and 'ecosystems' - and assigns names to those pieces based on where they fit in the landscape and on their attendant trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and wildlife species. Each of Maine's 104 natural communities has a two page description with color photographs and distribution maps. Introductory material includes a diagnostic key and how this classification fits into a bigger picture for conservation, and appendices include a cross-reference to other classification types and a glossary.

"Sustainable forestry is right where organic gardening was a generation ago--at the very beginning of working out the techniques and technologies that will let logging thrive at a scale appropriate to both the human and natural communities that depend on the forest. This book is at--if you will pardon the expression--the absolute cutting edge of that process." Bill McKibben, author ofThe End of Nature, Hope, Human and Wild, Enough, and other books If the future really mattered . . . How would forests be managed to improve, rather than degrade, future timber values? How would trees be cut to minimize damage to the residual forest? How would foresters measure success towards minimizing damage? How would loggers be paid to lower logging impacts? How would forests be managed in a way that ensures the survival of all native species? How would woodlot owners be able to afford this type of management? Low-Impact Forestry: Forestry as if the Future Matteredanswers these questions and more. Using Maine as a case study, this book offers forestry goals and guidelines that emphasize quality and value while conserving biodiversity and supporting communities for the long term.

Chronicles the forest in New England from the Ice Age to current challenges

In October 1947, Maine experienced the worst fire disaster in its history. Wildfire Loose describes how the fires started and spread so quickly through rural villages, down Millionaire’s Row in Bar Harbor, and across southern Maine beach resorts. Originally published in 1979, it remains the definitive account of “The Week Maine Burned.”

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality—not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own. “A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival.” —The Wall Street Journal In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life—why did he leave? what did he learn?—as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.