Contents of Michael Williams' Deforesting the Earth.

Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis
Notes on contents of Michael Williams' book, by Ariadne Unst.

	Also see Book Review of Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis by Michael Williams.
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Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis.

After the Ice Ages, the forests returned to Europe, North America, and the tropics.

In Deforesting the Earth, Michael Williams describes the use of forests by humanity in the subsequent 10,000 years, beginning with cutting and clearing for fuel and shelter.

Human-set fires began to burn the forests in the Paleolithic, to open them up for gathering and hunting, then for agriculture.

With growing industrialization and colononization, forests worldwide (including in Europe, the Americas, and Asia) were cleared to support trade and territorial expansion.

Finally the book addresses today's alarming deforestation, in response to the swelling population and the greed of developers.

"Clearing In The Deep Past" (The Chapters in Part One)

These chapters comprise the first main section of Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis by Michael Williams:

1. The Return of the Forest.
   • Prologue: The End of the Ice Age.
   • Writing the Biography of the Forest.
   • The Return of the Forest.
   • The Human Impact.
2. Fire and Foragers.
   • Fire: "The First Great Force."
   • Before the Ice: Prehistory "Caught Alive."
   • After the Ice: Europe.
   • After the Ice: North America.
   • After the Ice: The Tropics.
3. The First Farmers.
   • Domestication and Centers of Agriculture.
   • The Neolithics and Forest Clearing.
   • "From Predation to Production": Mesoamerica and South America.
   • The Indians and the North American Forest.
   • The Rest of the World.
4. The Classical World.
   • "Then and Now."
   • The Mediterranean Environment.
   • The Causes of Deforestation.
   • Deforestation and Soil Degradation.
   • Creating a Second Nature.
5. The Medieval World.
   • An Active and Energetic World.
   • Causes of Clearing.
   • Extent and Pace of Clearing.
   • Complexity and Conflict in the Forest.
   • European Epilogue: Plague and Reforestation.
   • China: A Land of "Ponderous Unknowns."

"Reaching Out: Europe and the Wider World" (The Chapters in Part Two)

These chapters comprise the second main section of Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis by Michael Williams:

1. Driving Forces and Cultural Climates, 1500-1750
   • Driving Forces and Cultural Climates
   • Discovery.
   • Technology.
   • Modernity.
   • Ascendancy.
2. Clearing in Europe, 1500-1750
   • A Timber Crisis?
   • Agricultural Clearing.
   • Fuelwood.
   • Charcoal and Iron Making.
   • The Demands of the Sea.
   • Plunder, Preservation, and Planting.
3. The Wider World, 1500-1750.
   • "Ecological Imperialism."
   • Stepping-Stones and Circuits to the New World.
   • The Encounter with the American Forest.
   • China: "A Dark Area in Space."
   • Japan: "The Foundations of the Hearth."
4. Driving Forces and Cultural Climates, 1750-1900.
   • Industrialization.
   • Population and Migration.
   • Colonization.
   • Transportation and Communication.
   • Forest Domination, Preservation, and Regulation.
5. Clearing in the Temperate World, 1750-1920.
   • Europe: Three Stories of Clearing.
   • Clearing a Continent: The United States.
   • The Pacific Rim: Complexity and Contrast.
6. Clearing in the Tropical World, 1750-1920.
   • Indigenous Use of the Forest.
   • Capitalist Penetration: The Passage to India, 1750-1850.
   • Colonial Consolidation: India, 1850-1920.
   • Mainland and Insular Southeast Asia.
   • Brazil and the "Long Journey to Extinction."

"The Global Forest" (The Chapters in Part Three)

These chapters comprise the third and last main section of Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis by Michael Williams:

1. Scares and Solutions, 1900-1944.
   • Destructive Exploitation of Global Resources.
   • The Coming Timber Famine.
   • Clearing in the Less-Developed World.
   • Clearing in the Developed World.
2. The Great Onslaught, 1945-95: Dimensions of Change.
   • The Causes of Change: "A World Losing Shape."
   • Concern about Change.
   • The Rise of Biodiversity.
   • Calibrating Change.
3. The Great Onslaught, 1945-95: Patterns of Change.
   • Agricultural Development.
   • "Hoofprints on the Forest": Ranching and Pasture Development.
   • Fuelwood and Charcoal.
   • Timber Extraction.

The Other Portions of the Book.

The book continues with:

• Epilogue: Backward and Forward Glances
• Notes - 75 pages of annotations.
• Bibliography - 83 pages of references.
• Index - 27 pages from (from "abaca" to "Zyzyphus mucronata").
• Many figures and tables of data.

	Also see Book Review of Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis by Michael Williams.
	Support us in bringing information to you - buy what you want at Amazon!

Links and References.

• Home and Index of Articles.
• Book Review of Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis by Michael Williams.
• Review of America's Ancient Forests: by Thomas M. Bonnicksen.
• Species:
  1. Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).
  2. Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides).
  3. Pine Trees - Your 60-Second Guide to Naming your Pine.
  4. Got Conifer -- How You Can Tell What Kind of Conifer You Have.

Forest and Tree Home, Glossary pages: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

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Copyright © 2003 by Ariadne Unst.