Looking for Longleaf - Annotated by Lawrence S Earley (Paperback)

About the Book

Looking for Longleaf: The Fall and Rise of an American Forest

Book Synopsis

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. Conservationists have proclaimed longleaf restoration a major goal, but has it come too late?

In Looking for Longleaf, Lawrence S. Earley explores the history of these forests and the astonishing biodiversity of the longleaf ecosystem, drawing on extensive research and telling the story through first-person travel accounts and interviews with foresters, ecologists, biologists, botanists, and landowners. For centuries, these vast grass-covered forests provided pasture for large cattle herds, in addition to serving as the world's greatest source of naval stores. They sustained the exploitative turpentine and lumber industries until nearly all of the virgin longleaf had vanished.

Looking for Longleaf demonstrates how, in the twentieth century, forest managers and ecologists struggled to understand the special demands of longleaf and to halt its overall decline. The compelling story Earley tells here offers hope that with continued human commitment, the longleaf pine might not just survive, but once again thrive.

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.

Review Quotes

"Richly detailed, impeccably researched and at times controversial: this merits a place alongside Bartram in the library devoted to the South."
"Kirkus Reviews", starred review

"Easy to digest for a non-technical reader. . . . Remarkably complete."
-- "Natural Areas Journal"

"A history of the southeast, an informative natural history, and a paean to a beautiful tree."
-- "Southeastern Naturalist"

"A welcomed addition on an important topic. . . . Should be required reading for anyone interested in the history of conservation in the South."
-- "Georgia Historical Quarterly"

"A fine, informative read for anyone interested in acquiring a general understanding of this interesting forest ecosystem."
"Choice"

"Lawrence Earley's "Looking for Longleaf" is such an engaging book that I read it straight through from prologue to epilogue."
Dave Egan, "Ecological Restoration"

"The decline of the longleaf pine is a complex story, well and thoroughly told by Earley."
"Wilson Quarterly"

"This is the definitive book on longleaf pine. For people curious about biology and history, it is fascinating."
"WoodenBoat"