Balancing Act: Environmental Issues in Forestry

Ken A. Armson, a former executive co-ordinator of the Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources’ Forest Resources Group, is currently a forestry
consultant.

Kimmins, an eminent Canadian forest ecologist, was inspired to write
this book partly because of his concerns about the misuse of words and
pictures in debates and conflicts over forests and the forest
environment. The book attempts to provide the average concerned citizen
with an introduction to environmental issues. The major focus is on
forests and on the environmental consequences of tree-crop production.
The author maintains that the scientific and social aspects of the
forestry/environmental controversy have often become confused and that
they should be separated.

The book consists of 16 chapters and includes many photographs and
illustrations. Chapter 2 explores the concept of conservation and the
different perceptions that people have of it. The next two chapters deal
with ecological principles as applied to forests, while Chapter 5 is a
primer of forestry for the layperson. The next eight chapters present
basic information about forestry practices and issues such as
clear-cutting, slash burning, use of chemicals, old-growth forests,
biodiversity, global climate change, and air pollution. Chapter 14
considers the parallels that are often drawn between Canadian and
international forests and forestry. The final chapters deal with the
sustainability of forests and discuss why forestry practices have failed
in certain situations.

This book is an excellent introduction to ecological principles as
applied to forests and forestry. Unfortunately, the examples from
Canadian forests and forestry are drawn almost exclusively from British
Columbia. This is illustrated by Chapter 13, which addresses air
pollution yet fails to mention the results of years of research on the
effects of acid rain on the sugar maple in Quebec and Ontario—results
that conclude that, if anything, growth of the maples has been
stimulated.