The hidden forest : the biography of an ecosystem

From the leaves at the top of the canopy to the insects living deep beneath the soil, a forest is a complex, unified ecosystem, critically affected by every creature that lives or dies within its boundaries. In this acclaimed book, veteran science writer Jon R. Luoma uncovers this world as he chronicles the work of a unique scientific research project currently underway in a majestic old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. Over the course of several decades the project will bring together scientists from almost every discipline -- botanists, entomologists, wildlife ecologists, soil biologists, and a score of others -- to piece together the long-term natural history of this single forest ecosystem. Described in fascinating detail in The Hidden Forest, this unusual undertaking points the way to a new model of conservation.… (more)