Nature’s Temples

A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests Revised and Expanded

Joan Maloof | 2023

Standing in an old-growth forest, you can instinctively sense how it differs from forests shaped by humans. These ancient, undisturbed ecosystems are increasingly rare and largely misunderstood. Nature’s Temples explores the science and alchemy of old-growth forests and makes a compelling case for their protection.

Many foresters advocate forest management, while ecologists and conservation biologists believe that the healthiest forests are those we leave alone. Joan Maloof combines scientific data about old-growth forests, drawing on diverse fields of study to explain the ecological differences among forests of various ages.

She describes the life forms and relationships that make old-growth forests unique—from salamanders and micro-snails to plants that communicate through fungi—and reveals why human attempts to manage forests can never replicate nature’s sublime handiwork.

This revised and expanded edition also sheds new light on forests’ special role in removing carbon from the atmosphere and shares what we know about the interplay between wildfires and ancient forests.

With drawings by Andrew Joslin that illustrate scientific concepts and capture the remarkable beauty of ancient trees, Nature’s Temples invites you to discover the power of these fragile realms that are so inextricably connected to our planet, fellow species, and spirits.

Bibliography

Maloof, J. (2023) Nature’s Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests Revised and Expanded. Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press.