Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Planting trees to improve climate is an age-old idea, once refuted in scientific dispute more than a century ago, and reborn today with climate change worries. Spanning the 1500s to the present, this book examines the history and science of forest-climate influences, and forest management to mitigate climate change.

Part I: Historical Perspective: 1. The Forest-Climate Question; 2. Tempering the Climate, c. 1600-1840; 3. Destroying the Rains, c. 1500-1830; 4. Planting Trees for Rain, c. 1840-1900; 5. Making a Science: Forest Meteorology, c. 1850-1880; 6. American Meteorologists Speak Out, c. 1850-1910; 7. Views of Forests; Part II: The Scientific Basis: 8. Global Physical Climatology; 9. Forest Biometeorology; 10. Scientific Tools; 11. Forest Microclimates; 12. Water Yield; 13. Carbon Sequestration; 14. Forest Macroclimates; 15. Case Studies; 16. Climate-Smart Forests; 17. Forests of the Future; 18. The Forests Before Us; Notes; References; Index.