Science and Hope

Designated a CHOICE 'Outstanding Academic Title', and now available in German translation, this book tells the story of the hopeful science and trusting art of forestry. It is a story about the hopes of foresters and other scientists to understand the forests more deeply, and about their unspoken trust that their knowledge could ensure an enduring sylvan future. Much has been written on the origins and development of modern forestry in various countries, and on the people and institutions involved, but there is little in the forest history literature that explains what the science actually is. Forest knowledge has an ancient history documented since classical times and applied within the intricate social and legal systems of medieval Europe. This volume is concerned with the modern form of forest science, founded in Europe early in the nineteenth century, when regimes for managing the forests that could be traced to the ancient world and had flourished in the Middle Ages were disrupted. This is a story of inquiry, of science and persistent endeavour to find a better future for the forests.