The coming global climate changes associated with the increase of atmospheric greenhouse effect, may disturb the natural carbon cycle in the biosphere and may lead to large-scale ecological consequences. The cognition of the mechanisms of environmental sustainability in changing climate is connected with studying the biotic regulation of the carbon cycle. Boreal forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle. This book expounds the regional-local prognostic conception as a scientific basis of monitoring forest ecosystems under global climatic changes. Predictive landscape-ecological scenarios of the nearest future of temperate forests and their paleogeographical analogues as a single system of global changes have been considered for the first time by the example of a large region -- the Volga River basin.

Unique tales and reflections of a scientist-explorer on his adventures in some of the world's most remote tropical rainforests Perhaps it is not possible to experience all the mysterious sounds, the unfamiliar smells, and the spectacular sights of a tropical rainforest without ever visiting one. But this exhilarating and honest book comes wondrously close to taking the reader on such a journey. Bruce M. Beehler, a widely traveled expert on birds and tropical ecology, recounts fascinating details from twelve field trips he has taken to the tropics over the past three decades. As a researcher, he brings to life the exotic rainforests and the people who inhabit them; as a conservationist, he makes a plea for better ways of managing rainforests-"a resource that the world cannot do without." Drawing on his experiences in Papua New Guinea, India, Madagascar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Panama, and the Ivory Coast, Beehler describes the surprises-both pleasant and unpleasant-of doing science and conservation in the field. He explains the role that rainforests play in the lives of indigenous peoples and the crucial importance of understanding local cultures, customs, and politics. The author concludes with simple but tough solutions for maintaining rainforest health, expressing fervent hope that his great-grandchildren and others may one day also hear the rainforest whisper its secrets.

"Cottonwood and the River of Time" looks at some of the approaches scientists have used to unravel the puzzles of the natural world. With a lifetime of work in forestry and genetics to guide him, Reinhard Stettler celebrates both what has been learned and what still remains a mystery as he examines not only cottonwoods but also trees more generally, their evolution, and their relationship to society.

Cottonwoods flourish on the verge, near streams and rivers. Their life cycle is closely attuned to the river's natural dynamics. An ever-changing floodplain keeps generating new opportunities for these pioneers to settle and prepare the ground for new species. Perpetual change is the story of cottonwoods -- but in a broader sense, the story of all trees and all kinds of life. Through the long parade of generation after generation, as rivers meander and glaciers advance and retreat, trees have adapted and persisted, some for thousands of years. How do they do this? And more urgently, what lessons can we learn from the study of trees to preserve and manage our forests for an uncertain future?

In his search for answers, Stettler moves from the floodplain of a West Cascade river, where seedlings compete for a foothold, to mountain slopes, where aspens reveal their genetic differences in colorful displays; from the workshops of Renaissance artists who painted their masterpieces on poplar to labs where geneticists have recently succeeded in sequencing a cottonwood's genome; from the intensively cultivated tree plantations along the Columbia to old-growth forests challenged by global warming.

Natural selection and adaptation, the comparable advantages and disadvantages of sexual versus asexual reproduction, the history of plant domestication, and the purposes, risks, and potential benefits of genetic engineering are a few of the many chapters in this story. By offering lessons in how nature works, as well as how science can help us understand it, Cottonwood and the River of Time illuminates connections between the physical, biological, and social worlds.

Reinhard F. Stettler is professor emeritus of forestry at the University of Washington.

This is a history of the trees, woodlands and forests of Scotland and of the people who used them. It begins 11,500 years ago when the ice sheet melted and trees such as hazel, pine, ash and oak returned, bringing with them first birds and mammals and, soon after, the first hunter-gathering humans. The book charts and explains the almost complete withdrawal of tree cover in Scotland over the following millennia, considers the revival of forests and woodlands in the twentieth century, and ends by examining the changes under way now. The book is intended for everyone interested in Scotland's natural history. It calls on an expert in pollen analysis to examine ancient patterns of woodland distribution; on archaeologists to describe how wood was put to good purpose, especially for buildings; on historians and foresters to explain how trees and woods have been exploited and enjoyed over the ages: on ecologists to show how the histories of people and woods are inseparably linked in Scotland; and on a geographer to consider how the Scottish landscape may react to changing policy, attitudes, populations, and climate. The text is fully illustrated by maps and photographs, in colour and black and white. The book has appendixes listing the native and imported species of trees and shrubs in Scotland, and ends with an extensive guide to further reading arranged by subject.

According to World Health Organization estimates, 80 percent of people living in developing countries rely on wild harvested plants for some aspect of their primary health care. This text aims to open readers' eyes to the enormous resources of the Earth's rainforests and the potential impact of their destruction in terms of human health, as well as the modern-day usefulness of traditional herbal remedies.

The very ancient Eastern forest of North America is characterized by an extraordinary variety of plants, animals, and human communities. Barry M. Buxton refers to this diverse area as the Great Forest in his book A Great Forest: An Appalachian Story, published in 1985. Buxton examines the natural and cultural landscape of the Appalachian region, and provides a detailed history of the area. In order to study the ecology of the forest, he includes a narrative of the people behind the forest and how they have impacted and changed the landscape.

Published in 1974, these symposia proceedings examine the management of trout habitat in mountain streams. Conservation organizations, researchers, and land managers, discussed trout habitat management programs and policies. They also identified management problems and present and explored future needs.

Widespread human alteration of the planet has led many scholars to claim that we have entered a new epoch in geological time: the Anthropocene, an age dominated by humanity. This ethnography is the first to directly engage the Anthropocene, tackling its problems and paradoxes from the vantage point of the world's largest tropical rainforest. Drawing from extensive ethnographic research, Nicholas Kawa examines how pre-Columbian Amerindians and contemporary rural Amazonians have shaped their environment, describing in vivid detail their use and management of the region's soils, plants, and forests. At the same time, he highlights the ways in which the Amazonian environment resists human manipulation and control-a vital reminder in this time of perceived human dominance. Written in engaging, accessible prose, Amazonia in the Anthropocene offers an innovative contribution to debates about humanity's place on the planet, encouraging deeper ecocentric thinking and a more inclusive vision of ecology for the future.

Covering 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, the longleaf pine ecosystem was, in its prime, one of the most extensive and biologically diverse ecosystems in North America. Today, these magnificent forests have declined to a fraction of their original extent, threatening such species as the gopher tortoise, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the Venus fly-trap. Lawrence S. Earley explores the history of these forests and the astonishing biodiversity within them, drawing on extensive research and telling the story through first-person travel accounts and interviews with foresters, ecologists, biologists, botanists, and landowners. The compelling story Earley tells here, offers hope that with continued human commitment, the longleaf pine might not just survive, but once again thrive.