Who would have thought that dwarf cedar trees growing on the Niagara Escarpment could live to be nearly 2000 years old. Or that the small bonsai cedars lining the shorelines of the Canadian shield measure their ages in centuries. Old growth pine trees in Temagami are often over 10 storeys tall, but these are young sprouts compared to trees of yesteryear, which were as much as 20 storeys high.
Ontario's old growth forests are fantastical and mysterious, but who knows where to find one. Most people in this province live within an hour's drive of an old growth forest, but do not know it. The ecology of these stands is engrossing. Fire scars on these trees, for example, provide an indisputable record of forest fire activity in Ontario. Small hemlock saplings, over 100 years old, have been growing at infinitesimal rates, waiting for a gap to open in the forest canopy.
Click here to see the Table of Contents,
or here to see a map of Ontario’s Old Growth Sites,
or here to see more on the authors, as well as information on the contributors.
Check out at the site set up for the book with further information and updates at www.oldgrowth.ca, or checkout a site dedicated to the ancient forests of Ontario at www.ancientforest.org.
Reviews:
"In Ontario we dwell among ancient living pillars that hold our deep histories and the breath of our distant futures. This is a wonderful book to get to know."
-- Sarah Harmer, musician
Michael Henry is an experienced ecologist and has spent many years working with the non-profit organization Ancient Forest Exploration and Research. He has also worked with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the U.S. National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. He lives in Peterborough, Ontario.
Dr. Peter Quinby has been studying forest ecology and conservation since 1980. His graduate studies were at Yale University. He has taught at several universities, including Wilfrid Laurier, Toronto, York, and Trent, in addition to consulting with Forestry Canada, Energy, Mines & Resources Canada, the CBC, the Temagami Wilderness fund, and the Wilderness Project. Currently he is Director & Associate Field Professor at the Pymntuning Laboratory of Ecology at the University of Pittsburgh.
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