Wednesday, November
17, 1999
Ecologist
David Foster charts the social and ecological histories of New England.
Henry David Thoreau is Foster's inspiration, but by the time the philosopher-author
of Walden moved to the Massachusetts woods and erected his small cabin,
New England had already been transformed into a patchwork of agricultural
fields and small woodlots. Indeed, farmers were seen as heroes for taming
the land. But with the nineteenth century's industrial revolution, people
deserted the countryside for new jobs in the cities. Over time, much of
the land reforested itself. With the expanding forests, Foster finds a
shift in human perception, too, one that encompasses the land's ecological
importance. |
|
|||