America's Great National Forests, Wildernesses, and Grasslands

Description

For more than a century, America's national forests have proved an environmental gift and cultural treasure, our spectacular backyard. Under the management of the U.S. Forest Service, this system of public lands encompasses 193 million acres of mountains, prairies, rivers, and canyons-much of it undiscovered, but accessible for hiking, kayaking, fishing, and winter sports. Officially published with the U.S. Forest Service, this book features the thirty most notable national forests- while also celebrating more than one hundred different national forests in forty-four states-from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the Olympics of Washington. Unlike the national parks, Americans can use these lands for all manner of recreation, truly earning these tremendous resources the moniker of America's backyard. This book is a treasure for all readers who use and cherish these lands.

Char Miller is the W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College and author of the award-winning Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism. Tim Palmer is the photographer and author of twenty-four books including Rivers of America and Trees and Forests of America. Bill McKibben is an environmentalist and writer who frequently contributes to the New York Times, the Atlantic Monthly, and Outside.

"[Tim] Palmer's beautiful photographs dovetail with Miller's prose, grounding the essays in inspiring beauty. While American's thoughts typically default to National Parks when considering striking landscapes, Miller and Palmer reveal that equally beautiful scenes abound in our National Forests. Armchair travelers and hard core National Forest fans alike will find their National Forest experiences enriched by this tribute to 'The People's Lands,' and [America's Great National Forests, Wildernesses, and Grasslands] helpfully explains how the Forests earned that sobriquet and why it remains true today." -NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION