Book Review
“A Forest Journey” subtitled “The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilisation” by John Perlin.” Published by Patagonia Books reviewed by Tony Orman. The book can be purchased from https://www.patagonia.co.nz/collections/books or through a local bookseller.
This book some 520 pages long might be seen by some as tedious as it delves way back into history, to ancient civilisation times about the importance of forests in supplying wood. One reviewer I chanced upon, described the book as disappointing and that he already knew the history.
But for most readers, the vast majority, will not have that historical knowledge and thus, the book will be a startling revelation to many in the context of the world.
Getting the message across is paramount and “A Forest Journey” is very easy reading, engaging and sends a very strong environmental message.
In harking way back into human history the book shows there’s nothing new – the message is inescapable – humans have been exploiting, indeed raping and pillaging forest resources since the first civilisations.
The author writes”new insight into the causes of the end-Permanian extinction, (251 million years ago) when Earth lost almost all life on land and sea, suggests that rising carbon di-oxide levels and massive tree loss were the primary culprits, demonstrating that when considering the survival of life on Earth, we should worry more about deforestation that asteroid collisions.
In the light of the environmental and life-giving actions provided by trees, it is tragic that trees have been felled and burned remorselessly.”
The lessons in history have been ignored today.
”Deforestation continues at an alarming pace—-people continue to remove trees at an alarming rate of 15 billion per year.”
“Sadly the present assault on our forests is part of the same cycle begun thousands of years ago.”
But the author is optimistic.
“It also encourages hope that we can learn from past mistakes and break out of the cycle deforestation and land degradation that undermined earlier civilisations.”
Siltation
The consequences undermining human life were profound. For example in Venice (Italy) about 1500 AD the deforestation led to silt and debris filling up coastal lagoons. An Italian forester explained that in forested times, the rain was absorbed by the forest floor litter and tree roots, the forest canopy shaded the snow, allowing it to melt slowly and there was little if any flooding.
“The water flowed in orderly fashion down the riverbeds and very little mud and organic debris rarely entered the water courses.”
Wood was king and timber was used in ship building, housing and as fuel for iron smelting and glassware manufacture. Farmers burned forests to make way for pasture land.
But as the Italian forester lamented, “since there is no vegetation to retain rainwater and the snow lies exposed to the sun, in an instant, after a storm, water will precipitously swoop down from the mountains to the river’s mouth and will carry such enormous quantities of debris as to break pasture land, devastate the countryside, destroy buildings, sometimes entire towns—- and with driving force bring all the filthiest material into the sea.”
It all sounds too familiar for New Zealand thinking of Cyclone Gabrielle’s destruction in early 2023.
In the 17th century Republic of Venice, “the problem went without remedy” as it wrought damage to the well-being of the commerce and security of the Republic.
Economic Ill-effects
The economic ill effects were on-going. Local forests were gone and timber had to be imported into Venice, adding heavy additional costs. Shipbuilders took their business to other countries such as Spain. By 1606 over 50 percent of ships in the Venetian merchant fleet had been built outside the Republic. By 1700 almost 80 percent had to be built abroad.
It’s a fascinating read and not surprisingly the book gained it recognition as a Harvard Classic in Science and World History and as one of Harvard’s “One-Hundred Great Books.”
One might cavil that the historical information is perhaps repetitive, but that’s the point, the exploitation cycles keep repeating over and over again. Mankind doesn’t learn from mistakes.
But there’s an urgent need to learn from the catastrophic mistake of treating trees and forests with a disdainful avarice.
NZ-no exception
New Zealand is no exception to the commercial greed. Think of examples like the Marlborough Sounds where commercial forestry clear felling has resulted in heavy siltation of the inshore ecosystem as testified by over 15 research papers warning of the severe degradation.
But the local Marlborough District Council has ignored the findings that pointed out the folly of clear felling. What’s more the council is into commercial forestry itself, putting it into an embarrassing compromised position.
But like Europe and the US as recounted in “A Forest Journey’, New Zealand’s exploitation of forests goes back in history. Lessons are never learned from mistakes.
Up to 40 percent of the forest was burnt within 200 years of Māori migrants settling in New Zealand about 1250 AD. Radio-carbon dating shows that deforestation began at the same time throughout the country as forest was burned to flush the flightless moa out to be slaughtered and the subsequent burnt lands provided fern roots.
Then came the 19th century European settlers burning forests to make way for farmlands.
There’s a strong, urgent message for the world – New Zealand included – in “A Forest Journey”
Consequently “A Forest Journey” is highly recommended!
The book is grandly produced by Patagonia Books, well illustrated with impressive colour photos, black and white photos and historical diagrams and maps.
Trees effectively slow down rain and allow it to soak into the soil. Trees act as natural sponges and collect and filter rainfall, releasing it slowly (and cleanly!) into streams and rivers. Moreover, trees prevent soil erosion which is also known to affect water quality as silt particles are blown away by wind action into nearby water reserves.
But there’s an exception and that’s the obsession with planting pine trees which extract large quantities of water thereby depleting stream flows. Monocultures are disastrous for bio-diversity. Wilding pines are a massive off-shoot environmental problem, so lets have the right trees
There is a lack of lateral thinking, a need for multi-tasking. Planting swathes of pines is ecological stupidity. Wilding pines are a major problem in the Mackenzie Basin and in other areas, I understand such as Marlborough.
Wilding pines are a $5 billion cost to NZ I seem to recall.
The previous government’s ‘billion trees’ policy was short-sighted. It should have excluded pines.
Interesting how history repeats itself as the book seems to spell out.
Human exploitation of forests is really about power and money, the two twin lusts of politicians and governments. Lust for military power so build armadas – lust for money, commercial greed, the latter today driven by corporate power. I just hope the author is right in his optimism when he writes “It also encourages hope that we can learn from past mistakes and break out of the cycle deforestation and land degradation that undermined earlier civilisations.” Sounds like a book very well worth following up on.