Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest by Joan Mallof

[Tom]

I ordered this books after reading and enjoying Dr. Maloof's books on old growth forests and her book listing and describing old grow forest in the eastern US. Malook was a biology professor at Salisbury State University so her books often have a local feel, especially this one.

The majority of chapters in the books are the names of a local tree. I thought they would be about the tree they were named after and might include the little anecdotes that add so much when you're talking about trees. On the contrary, the book is really about the ecology of old growth and it's importance. This is Dr. Malook's passion and she now leads the Old Growth Forest Network and website about this. The book contains stories about getting people involved and caring about old growth and many small ecological stories about the life in each type of forest.

She discusses how the red backed salamander mother stays near with eggs (a typical of salmanders but the eggs are also laid under logs instead of in the water) not only to help keep them moist but because they would be destroyed by fungus if not for the bacteria that live on the salamander's skin. She describes the life cycle of the locust borer that not only requires black locust trees but goldennrod to compete it's life cycle. Sweetgums lead to a discussion of the luna moth, white pines to watching eagles nest in them. Her concern is for the forest and not just the trees.

Overall I was a little disappointed in the book. While I enjoyed the ecological stories they are a minor part of the book. More is spend on discussing the importance, rarity and fragility of old growth forest. At least for me she was preaching to the choir there.

Just a side note - her other books did motivate me to stop in Cook Forest in PA during a recent trip. Beautiful old grow hemlock and white pines and well worth going an hour and half out of my way.