The Historical Ecology Handbook makes essential connections between past and future ecosystems, bringing together leading experts to offer a much-needed introduction to the field of historical ecology and its practical application by on-the-ground restorationists.
Chapters present individual techniques focusing on both culturally derived evidence and biological records, with each chapter offering essential background, tools, and resources needed for using the technique in a restoration effort. The book ends with four in-depth case studies that demonstrate how various combinations of techniques have been used in restoration projects.
The Historical Ecology Handbook is a unique and groundbreaking guide to determining historic reference conditions of a landscape. It offers an invaluable compendium of tools and techniques, and will be essential reading for anyone working in the field of ecological restoration.
Contents
Table of Contents
Part 1: Cultural Evidence Chapter 1: Archaeology, Paleoecology, and Ecological Restoration Chapter 2: The Contribution of Ethnobiology to the Reconstruction and Restoration of Historic Ecosystems Chapter 3: The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Written Records Chapter 4: Oral History: A Guide to Its Creation and Use Chapter 5: Maps and Photographs Chapter 6: Government Land Office Survey and Other Early Land Surveys
Part 2: Biological Evidence Chapter 7: Inferring Forest Stand History from Observational Field Evidence Chapter 8: Using Dendrochronology to Reconstruct the History of Forest and Woodland Ecosystems Chapter 9: Palynology: An Important Tool for Discovering Historic Ecosystems Chapter 10: Packrat Middens as Tool for Reconstructing Historic Ecosystems Chaprer 11: Techniques for Discovering Historic Animal Assemblages Chapter 12: Geomorphology, Hydrology, and Soils 13: Inferring Vegetation History from Phytoliths
Part 3: Synthesis: Cases Studies Using Reference Conditions Chapter 14: Using Historical Data in Ecological Restoration: A Case Study from Nantucket Chapter 15: A Multiple-scale History of Past and Ongoing Vegetation Change within the Indiana Dunes Chapter 16: Implementing the Archeo-environmental Reconstruction Technique: A Case Study from the Greater Grand Canyon Region Chapter 17: Documenting Local Landscape Change: The San Francisco Area Historical Project
