If you need some though provoking literature to help you spend more time in front of your toasty fireplace or wood stove, or are looking for that perfect Christmas gift for your favourite outdoor enthusiast, a here are a few of our recommended “ecology” books. All are easy , not technical papers.
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The Overstory by Richard Powers
The novel is about five trees whose unique life experiences with nine Americans bring them together to address the destruction of forests. Powers was inspired to write the work while teaching at Stanford University after he encountered giant redwood trees for the first time.[1] The Overstory was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize on September 20, 2018.[2]
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Home Place, Essays on Ecology by Stan Rowe
Canadian ecologist and former forester, Stan Rowe (most recently of New Denver BC) has written eloquently throughout his career and holds a special place for me. He’s Canadian and received his Ph.D in botany from the University of Manitoba in 1956, where I received my Masters degree many many years later.
After a long and diverse career including as a professor of ecology at the University of Saskatchewan , Stan retired to New Denver in 1990 and promptly got arrested protesting logging in the New Denver watershed. (https://abcbookworld.com/writer/rowe-stan/).
This one fact alone should make you want to read this book!
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Walden – Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
The perfect book for COVID holiday isolation/quarantining/vacation reading while camping in the wilderness.
Thoreau is often quoted and rules social media with memes showcasing his musings. However reading his words in their entirety is much more satisfying.
Walden is the Thoreau classic. If isolation has you feeling blue, know that Thoreau spent 2 years, 2 months and 2 days in solitude in a simple cabin he built in the woods, near Walden Pond, where he wrote the essays and manuscript for this book. You can read more about Thoreau here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau.
You can download WALDEN for free here https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205. Merry Christmas!