"Forests have a multitude of resources (timber, non-timber plants, wildlife, water retention/erosion control, carbon sequestration, amelioration of climate, recreation, and inspiration); yet, at times, these may be incompatible. The key goals of this book are to help the reader gain the ability to understand forest ecology and a wider awareness of many forest values. The work offers detailed sections on forest biomes, forest dynamics, flora and fauna, forest biodiversity, energy and nutrient cycling, conservation and management, forests and climate change, and human interaction in forests (including agriculture, indigenous knowledge, recreation, hunting, and urban forests). Overall, the 44 chapters, written by 86 scholars, provide reliable information on forest ecological requirements, as well as on management needs. In the introduction, the editors write, "This handbook aims to act as a state-of-the-art summary of our current knowledge of forest ecology." As such, it succeeds. This title will be of interest to laypersons as an introduction to forest ecology. For the graduate student, it provides extensive coverage of current research and excellent bibliographies.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students."
C. G. Heister, Yale University, CHOICE (November 2016)