Author(s): Peter A. Thomas (Author), Robert S. McAlpine (Author), Kelvin Hirsch (Contributor), Peter Hobson (Contributor)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Date: 23 Sept. 2010
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 238 pages
ISBN-10: 0521822297
ISBN-13: 9780521822299
Book Description
How destructive or beneficial are forest fires to wildlife? Should we be trying to reduce or increase the amount of fire in forests? How are forest fires controlled, and why does this sometimes fail? What effect will climate change have? These and many other questions are answered in this richly illustrated book, written in non-technical language. The journey starts in the long geological history of fire leading up to our present love-hate relationship with it. Exploring the physics of how a single flame burns, the journey continues through how whole forests burn and the anatomy of firestorms. The positive and negative ecological effects of fires are explored, from plants and wildlife to whole landscapes. The journey ends with how fires are controlled, and a look to the future. This book will be of interest to ecologists, biogeographers and anyone with an interest in forest fires and the role they play.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘ … large and sumptuously produced … the authors and the publisher deserve congratulation for the high standard of the illustrations, which make a complex subject far easier to understand … The book is published at a very reasonable price. I learnt a lot from it, and suspect that many who have important responsibilities for forests would do so too.’ Bulletin of the British Ecological Society
‘Fire in the Forest is an interesting international introduction to the intriguing and sometimes enigmatic role that fire plays in natural and increasingly human-inhabited ecosystems. It is presented from a non-technical, but well-referenced, point of view by the two primary authors, who are well positioned to provide such insights on this topic. … highly recommended …’ Plant Science Bulletin
Book Description
An accessible account of how forest fires work, the ecological effects they have, and why and how we fight fires.
About the Author
Peter A. Thomas is senior lecturer in environmental science at Keele University, UK and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada and a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University, USA. He has a PhD in forest fire ecology from the University of New Brunswick, Canada and has been involved in a number of fire research projects since in Canada and the USA. His teaching encompasses a wide range of tree and woodland related topics including fire behaviour and fire ecology, and he recently received an Excellence in Teaching Award from Keele University. He has travelled extensively around the world investigating burnt forests; the information and perspective gained informs his teaching, writing and research. His research interests focus on tree ecology and forest fires. He is the author of Trees: Their Natural History and Ecology of Woodlands and Forests both published by Cambridge University Press.
Robert S. (Rob) McAlpine works with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Aviation and Forest Fire Management Branch, where he leads the Science and Technology group. He is actively involved in the fire management programme and continues to develop tools and concepts to improve the practice of fire management. Rob also worked with the Canadian Forest Service for more than 10 years where he was a research scientist studying fire behaviour. Rob’s current research interests and activities span fire behaviour, fire economics, equipment development, and organizational effectiveness. He has worked in fire management and research for almost 30 years from a front line fire fighter to a fire scientist.
This is the first new book on Wiggins since his historic Tour de France win, and his triumph at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Rising from an inner city background, abandoned by his pro cyclist father as a toddler, Bradley Wiggins became a prodigious talent. World Junior Champion, World Champion and Olympic Champion were all titles that came his way at a startlingly young age, but what he really wanted was success on the road. Wiggo’s reinvention on the path to becoming Britain s first Tour de France winner in over a hundred years of racing is one of sport s most uplifting and inspiring stories. In this captivating and insightful narrative, Wiggins old friend and colleague John Deering sets this remarkable story against the backdrop of Wiggins crushing Tour victory, his races along the thousands of kilometres of French tarmac, telling the tale of his brutal procession from Liege to Paris in counterpoint to his fascinating life. From a Kilburn council estate to the Champs Elysees via the Olympics, Paul Weller and the world s most glorious sideburns, the legend of Bradley Wiggins is unravelled like never before.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
John Deerings first book, Team on the Run (Mainstream, 2003), was a study of his time with the chaotic but charismatic Linda McCartney Cycling Team and went on to be voted 5th best cycling book of all time. He has supplied many features to publications such as Procycling, The Official Tour de France Guide and Ride Cycling Review, and contributed regularly to Eurosport s cycling coverage. John is the author of12 Months In The Saddle, due in May 2013 (Carlton Books) and Team on the Run (2003 Mainstream).
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