Social Forestry: Tending the Land as People of Place

Social Forestry is a book that connects villages and communities to their forests and adjoining bodies of water, focusing on forest management, protection, and regeneration of deforested lands. It explores how holistic land and community management approaches can facilitate resolution of local and global crises, and includes 31 4-color posters and 54 images.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 456 pages
Publication date: 08 June 2023
Publisher: Synergetic Press Inc.,U.S.

Social Forestry: Tending the Land as People of Place is a vital guide for those seeking to establish reciprocal relationships with their communities, selves, and the awe-inspiring forests and landscapes that surround them. By connecting villages and communities to their forests and adjoining bodies of water, Social Forestry encompasses forest management, protection, and the regeneration of deforested lands with the ultimate goal of improving rural, environmental, and social development. Through ecological assessment, carbon sequestration, and the generation of wildcrafts, individuals rediscover their wonder in the woods.

Author Tomi Hazel Vaarde, a collaborator of Siskiyou Permaculture, employs a diverse range of artistic mediums, including poetry, photographs, drawings, and data, to articulate the philosophies and concepts of Social Forestry. By weaving culturally sensitive stories, myths, and lessons from various customs and traditions, including North American Indigenous communities and Vaarde's own Quaker upbringing, Vaarde explores how holistic land and community management approaches can facilitate the resolution of some of our most pressing local and global crises.

The writer's work is instrumental in overcoming eco-grief while instilling the necessary changes to the West Coast landscape for fire mitigation and the restoration of complex forest systems for future generations. While many indigenous peoples have acquired regenerative management practices through generations of living in and with a sense of place, there are limited examples of whole-system planning and participation in modern society. Climate adaptation, human survival, and conservation efforts to maintain biodiversity that sustains life on Earth require a radical return to our roots and a deliberate dedication to these goals.

Social Forestry serves as a reminder to readers of the ways of the wild while offering practical guidance for implementing local, sustainable practices. By embracing the principles of Social Forestry, individuals and communities can cultivate a deeper connection to the natural world, promote ecological resilience, and contribute to the long-term well-being of both the environment and themselves.

Weight: 1218g
Dimension: 203 x 254 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781957869063