Ontario's Old-Growth Forests

I am currently reading Ontario's Old Growth Forests by Michael Henry and Peter Quimby and can't get enough of this stuff! At first glance, the book looks like a coffee-table photo book, but, as in many cases in life, looks can be misleading.

Did you know that the forests of the northern shore of Lake Superior are quite similar to those of the temperate rainforests of BC and Norway? That trees in a forest often naturally graft together at the roots and can help sustain each other from this connection? That forest fungi play multiple roles in forest ecology and may be as important to the forest's health as the trees themselves?

This is incredibly interesting and important stuff, particularly for those who visit, work with or benefit from Ontario's forests. That's pretty much everyone who lives in Ontario, and many far beyond.

It amazes me that we can talk about "forest management" when in reality we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what we understand about forest ecosystems. Once again, when it comes to natural understanding vs. resource greed, we have gotten it backwards and moved before we can truly understand what we are doing. The good news is that there are people like Peter Quimby and Michael Henry who continue to work hard to improve our understanding, and many others who also work hard to preserve what is left of our forests.

Thank you to my family for this wonderful Mother's Day gift!