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Landscapes, Geonomics and Transgenic Conifers (MANAGING FOREST ECOSYSTEMS)
Williams C.G Manufacturer: Springer ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 1402038682 |
Book Description
What is the future of genetically modified (or transgenic) conifer plantations? The content of this edited volume Landscapes, Genomics and Transgenic Conifers addresses this question directly - and indirectly - using language drawn from policy, forest history, genomics, metabolism, pollen dispersal and gene flow, landscape ecology, evolution, economics, technology transfer and regulatory oversight. Although the book takes its title from a Nicholas School Leadership forum held November 17-19, 2004 at Duke University, its de novo contents move past the forumâs deliberations. The result is a trans-disciplinary book composed of 14 chapters written by a total of 31 authors working in North America, South America, Europe and Africa.
The book is written for policy experts, life scientists, government and business leaders, biotechnology writers and activists. Few decision-makers realize the unprecedented degree to which transgenic technology is now possible for forests on a commercial scale. Only a handful of the 550 living conifer species is used for commodity value and even fewer species are being developed for transgenic plantations. Transgenic field trials started within the last decade but no transgenic pine plantations exist in 2005. But emergence of transgenic forest trees is still so recent that dialogue about the pros and cons is confined to the scientific community. And dialogue must move out into the public domain.
So little opportunity remains for opening public dialogue. The pursuit of transgenic research for forest trees is principally corporate so novel forest tree phenotypes are created as a means to increase shareholder value for investor companies. And while potential benefits will accrue to shareholders, ecological risks for certain transgenic traits are likely to be shared due to long-distance gene flow and inadequate bioconfinement measures. So this is a question riddled with tension. Without public deliberation, we should expect alienation of several interest groups. Alienation will lead to heightened clashes in the public policy arena or even radical environmental action. But how to move dialogue on transgenic forests forward? One must re-frame the issues behind transgenic conifer plantations.
The goal of this volume is to provide content for public deliberations about the genetic composition of future forests. Its Section I is composed of provocative and opposing views on the question of transgenic conifer plantations. Sections II and III follow with research advances on relevant conifer genomics and ecology research, respectively. Section IV forecasts rates of technology adoption for different case studies. Finally, Section V compares the status of regulatory oversight of transgenic forest trees between Canada and the United States. But will the book fulfil its goal? The burden of the answer lies with its readers. Will readers act â or will transgenic forests be seen as too remote or simply too rural to bother with the angst of public deliberation?
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Forests and Society: Sustainability and Life Cycles of Forests in Human Landscapes (Cabi Publishing)
Kristiina Vogt , Jon Honea , Daniel J. Vogt , Michael Andreu , Robert Edmonds , Joyce Berry , and Ragnhildur Sigurtardottir Manufacturer: CABI ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1845930983 |
Book Description
This book provides a broad-ranging textbook on the relationships between forests and society. It discusses the ways in which society can interact with forest landscapes without adversely affecting their sustainability. Topics covered include attitudes to, and uses of forests, the creation of
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Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England
Tom Wessels Manufacturer: Countryman Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0881503789 |
Book Description
Landscape is much more than scenery to be observed or even terrain to be traveled, as this fascinating and many-layered book vividly shows us. Etched into the land is the history of how we have inhabited it, the storms and fires that have shaped it, and its response to these and other changes. An intrepid sleuth and articulate tutor, Wessels teaches us to read a landscape the way we might solve a mystery. What exactly is the meaning of all those stone walls in the middle of the forest? Why do beech and birch trees have smooth bark when the bark of all other northern species is rough? How do you tell the age of a beaver pond and determine if beavers still live there? Why are pine trees dominant in one patch of forest and maples in another? What happened to the American chestnut? Turn to this book and no walk in the woods will ever be the same.Customer Reviews:
The woods are lovely..........2007-01-09
Reading the Forested landscape..........2006-11-10
reading the forested landscape.......2006-08-26
Read this book and then Read the Landscape!.......2006-01-06
Great book.......2003-08-19
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Forest Restoration in Landscapes: Beyond Planting Trees
Manufacturer: Springer ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
Accessories:
ASIN: 0387255257 |
Book Description
The importance of restoration continues to grow, and this book integrates the restoration of forest functions into landscape conservation plans. The global conservation organization WWF has made forest landscape restoration a key topic and priority for its environmental work. Due to the WWFâs extensive global reach, and together with its many partners and counterparts, it has acquired a significant level of experience on the topic of forest restoration at large scales. This book represents the collective body of knowledge and experience of WWF and its many partners--which is collected here for the first time and which will be invaluable to all of those working in the field. This guide will serve as a first stop for practitioners and researchers in any organization or region and as a key reference on the subject. Along with concise, practical information for a variety of specific systems and issues, it gives many suggestions for further research.
From the Foreword by Chief Anyaoku, President, WWF International:
"Is it a sign of the times that the Nobel committee chose to award the Nobel Peace prize to Wangari Maathai for having planted 30 million trees? We believe so. . . .The 21st Century will be a time of forest restoration."
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Forest Quality: Assessing Forests at a Landscape Scale (Earthscan Forestry Library)
Nigel Dudley , Rodolphe Schlaepfer , Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud , William Jackson , and Sue Stolton Manufacturer: Earthscan Publications Ltd. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 1844072789 |
Book Description
Deforestation is frequently a topic of discussion in the environmental arena. But it is not just the number of trees that matters; the quality of the forest is also important. Even where the forest area is stable or increasing, there are often rapid changes in its character. Natural forests are being replaced by plantations or by intensively managed forests. Around the world, forests are becoming younger and less diverse, in both species and structure; this has important impacts for biodiversity and also affects many human values.
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Forest Landscape Ecology: Transferring Knowledge to Practice
A. H. Perera Manufacturer: Springer ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0387342435 |
Book Description
The discipline of landscape ecology has matured rapidly over the past few decades, generating a wealth of knowledge that can be used to enhance forest policy development and management. However, much of this knowledge has yet to be applied in practice.
"Forest Landscape Ecology: Transferring Knowledge to Practice" is the first book to introduce landscape ecologists to the discipline of knowledge transfer. The book considers knowledge transfer in general, critically examines aspects of transfer that are unique to forest landscape ecology, and reviews several case studies of successful applications for policy developers and forest managers in North America. Readers are encouraged to recognize the value of sharing their knowledge, and to understand their role in active knowledge transfer. The intent is to connect, as seamlessly and effectively as possible, ecological principles to policy and practice.
This book is written for researchers, academics and students in landscape ecology and related fields, as well as policymakers and land and resource managers who are interested in landscape-level approaches.
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Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape
Robert A. De J. Hart Manufacturer: Chelsea Green ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0930031849 |
Book Description
An English classic revised and expanded for North AmericaCustomer Reviews:
This book is best used as compost in your garden. Because its that full of..........2007-06-01
Inspiring but not Practical.......2004-12-25
Everyone can profit from this book.......2004-01-31
In this book Hart develops the case for the urban dweller to adopt forest gardening to achieve economy of space and labor while producing fruit, nuts, root and perennial vegetables and herbs. He provides the guidelines required for temperate, tropical and sub-tropical climates. "Like the forest it is arranged in seven 'storeys', with the original apple and pear trees constituting the 'canopy' and the other plants occupying the lower tiers. Thus the garden has a well-defined vertical dimension as well as horizontal ones. Now that it has been established for several years, I can affirm that it requires minimal maintenance, as the plants - nearly all perennials - largely look after themselves and are very healthy. The main work involved is that of cutting back plants that try to encroach on others. The wide diversity of species ensures that any small invasions of pests never reach epidemic proportions, as they tend to do under monocultural conditions. The large number of aromatic herbs creates a deliciously fragrant atmosphere, and, I am convinced, contributes to the pest-and-disease-resistance of the other plants. As we eat the herbs and perennial vegetables daily in our salads, the garden makes a significant contribution to our diet throughout the growing season, from the first herbs and wild garlic in March to the last apples in November."
The author goes on to warn us that we must seek ordered diversity governed by the laws of plant symbiosis but the results can be that a half hectare can support a family of up to ten people. Java has the greatest concentration of forest gardens yet is one of the most densely populated rural areas of the world. Forest gardening is more than a system for supplying mankind's material needs; it is a way of life which addresses man's spiritual needs by its beauty and the wealth of wildlife it attracts. In the early chapters we follow the author's development as he wrestles with the problem, concluding that: "if one could devise an integrated system of land-use consisting mainly of perennial plants - fruit and nut tress and bushes together with perennial vegetables and herbs - as well as a diet based on this mix, the task of achieving self-sufficiency would be vastly simplified. This is how I discovered agroforestry."
There are plenty of good tips such as this one on potatoes. "The champion exponent of this technique, the aim of which is to grow a colossal crop of potatoes from a single seed, was a Sussex villager, Tom Cooke, known as the Ace of Spuds. This was his procedure: large seed potatoes, well supplied with eyes, were soaked in a solution of liquid seaweed and water for an hour a week for six months, starting in October. During the winter Tom prepared his plot, allowing eight-foot squares for each seed. The site was excavated one-foot deep and filled with wheat straw, to which dry seaweed fertilizer was added after the straw had weathered and was almost black. On top of this came a layer of manure and soil mixed with more seaweed. The tubers were planted at the end of March or early April and covered with a thin dressing of straw. Then, at fortnightly intervals, the growing plants were earthed up with layers of straw, seaweed and soil until they reached a height of some 3-4 feet, sending out numerous side-shoots liberally supplied with tubers. After a series of foliar feeds with liquid seaweed, the harvest was eventually reached: over half a ton of potatoes from just six seeds!"
If you are an avid gardener there will surely be something new in this book; if you simply want to make your garden more productive and did not know of the seven story concept, you will find this book helpful; if you have been overwhelmed by the work in the garden you should concentrate on perennials as Hart has done; if you have just a small plot this book will help you get the maximum production and help you to eat healthily; if you would like to attract more wildlife to your garden, read this book. It is difficult to imagine anyone not profiting from Hart's theoretical and practical research.
A forest for every home!.......2000-06-21
A theory well worth exploring........1999-04-24
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Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and Citizens
Dan L. Perlman , and Jeffrey Milder Manufacturer: Island Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1559637161 |
Book Description
Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and Citizens introduces and explains key ecological concepts for planners, landscape architects, developers, and others involved in planning and building human habitats. The book is tailored to meet the needs of busy land use professionals and citizens seeking a concise yet thorough overview of ecology and its applications. It offers clear guidelines and a wealth of information on how we can protect species and ecosystems while at the same creating healthy, sustainable human communities.
Throughout the book, the authors make ecological concepts accessible to readers with little or no scientific background. They present key ideas and information in simple and pragmatic terms, and provide numerous graphics to help explain important concepts. They also offer exercises for the reader to practice ecologically-based planning and design, along with a list of resources for practical information on ecology and conservation.
Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and Citizens will raise the level of ecological understanding among land use professionals and citizens, and is an invaluable new resource for anyone concerned with human land use and its environmental impacts.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting as well as Practical Ecology.......2006-05-01
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Urban Forest Landscapes: Integrating Multidisciplinary Perspectives
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0295974397 |
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Landscape Trees and Shrubs: Selection, Use and Management (Cabi Publishing)
M. Forrest Manufacturer: CABI ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1845930541 |
Book Description
This book presents a horticultural overview of the main plant families of trees and shrubs from temperate regions that are cultivated in urban and rural landscape schemes. Most of the plants used come from a limited number of plant families and within these families, certain genera contributeBooks:
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