Fire, both inevitable and ubiquitous, plays a crucial role in North American ecosystems. But as necessary as fire is to maintaining healthy ecosystems, it threatens human lives and livelihoods in unacceptable ways. This volume explores the rich yet largely uncharted terrain at the intersection of fire policy, fire science, and fire management in order to find better ways of addressing this pressing dilemma. Written in clear language, it will help scientists, policy makers, and the general public, especially residents of fire-prone areas, better understand where we are today in regard to coping with wildfires, how we got here, and where we need to go. Drawing on abundant historical and analytic information to shed new light on current controversies, Living with Fire offers a dynamic new paradigm for coping with fire that recognizes its critical environmental role. The book also tells how we can rebuild the important ecological and political processes that are necessary for finding better ways to cope with fire and with other complex policy dilemmas.

Living with Fire: Fire Ecology and Policy for the Twenty-first Century

Science & Math

Jensen, Sara E.

McPherson, Guy R.

Biological Sciences

University of California Press

Applied Ecology and Natural Resource Management

This volume bridges the gap between ecology and natural resource management and, in particular, focuses on plant ecology as a foundation for vegetation and wildlife management. It describes how concepts and approaches used by ecologists to study communities and ecosystems can be applied to their management. Guy R. McPherson and Stephen DeStefano emphasize the importance of thoughtfully designed and conducted scientific studies to both the advancement of ecological knowledge and the application of techniques for the management of plant and animal populations.

Business & Money

DeStefano, Stephen

Economics

Cambridge University Press

Savannas are ecosytems with a continuous grass layer and scattered trees or shrubs. These lands occupy nearly a third of the earth’s land surface and are an important resource not only in world economies but also as repositories of biodiversity. Because savannas are generally thought of as tropical ecosystems, most reviews of the literature have tended to disregard savannas found in temperate zones. Yet these ecosystems are both extensive and diverse in North America, ranging from longleaf pine habitats along the Atlantic coastal plain to xeric piñon-juniper communities of the Great Basin-ecosystems seemingly disparate, yet similar enough to merit study as savannas. This book provides an overview of the patterns and processes shared by these ecosystems and offers substantive ideas regarding future management and research efforts. It describes the composition geographic distribution, climate, soils, and uses of savannas throughout North America, summarizing and integrating a wide array of literature. While discussing these ecological patterns and processes. McPherson develops a framework for implementing management practices and safeguarding the future of these important wildland ecosystems. Ecology and Management of North American Savannas takes a major step toward establishing the science of savanna ecology for North America. It encourages constructive debate and relevant research on these important systems and will also serve as a useful resource in biogeography, plant ecology, and rangeland management.

Ecology and Management of North American Savannas (Structure and Bonding; 89)

University of Arizona Press

Walking Away from Empire: A Personal Journey

America Star Books

Letters to a Young Academic: Seeking Teachable Moments

Young academicians are serious scholars and voracious readers who are perennially in search of practical and inspiring advice about their vocation. Their tenure-driven neuroses, combined with an inherent competitive streak and an understanding of the importance of public service, engender their quest for advice about life in the academy. In Letters to a Young Academic: Seeking Teachable Moments, Guy R. McPherson feeds a sophisticated audience hungry for practical, inspirational, and witty advice. He begins by answering the question, "Why choose academia?," then addresses the fundamental nature of the "life of mind" before addressing questions that deal with the "how" and "what" of teaching. Finally, McPherson turns to issues of career advancement and professional service. Each topics is described in a series of personal letters. This book is a quick read that will evoke laughter, reflection, and contemplation for all young scholars.

Job Hunting & Careers

R&L Education

Young academicians are serious scholars and voracious readers who are perennially in search of practical and inspiring advice about their vocation. Their tenure-driven neuroses, combined with an inherent competitive streak and an understanding of the importance of public service, engender their quest for advice about life in the academy. In Letters to a Young Academic: Seeking Teachable Moments, Guy R. McPherson feeds a sophisticated audience hungry for practical, inspirational, and witty advice. He begins by answering the question, 'Why choose academia? ,' then addresses the fundamental nature of the 'life of mind' before addressing questions that deal with the 'how' and 'what' of teaching. Finally, McPherson turns to issues of career advancement and professional service. Each topics is described in a series of personal letters. This book is a quick read that will evoke laughter, reflection, and contemplation for all young scholars.

We are the last individuals of our species on Earth. How shall we respond? How shall we act? If industrial civilization is maintained, climate change will cause human extinction in the near term. If industrial civilization falls, sufficient ionizing radiation will be released from the world's nuclear power plants to cause human extinction in the near term. In the wake of this horrific conclusion, conservation biologist Guy McPherson proposes we act with compassion, courage, and creativity. He suggests we act with the kind of empathy for which humans are renowned. In other words, he suggests we act with decency toward the humans and other organisms with which we share this beautiful planet. Going Dark is the story of one scientist's response to the horrors we face. It is a deeply personal narrative infused with abundant evidence to support its terrifying claims. In the words of syndicated cartoonist David Fitzsimmons, McPherson's ""approach is disarming and his message is both life-changing and convincingly alarming. A blend of Paul Revere with Rachel Carson, Guy McPherson is a significant voice of rational conscience nudging in the wilderness. Fierce as Ed Abbey, and equally prophetic, Professor McPherson is a modern-day John Muir with a global perspective. Beyond the warnings is a body of thoughtful and pragmatic real world ideas."" "Going Dark peels the shadow from the cozy dreams we've all bought into. You know the ones: technology will save us from climate change; the products we consume are endless and untainted; our modern idea of happiness and convenience doesn't crush others; the heartbeat of the industrial economy that pulses within us all is sustainable and ethical. McPherson's latest work will make you think twice, twice. If you feel discomfort as you read you are reading it correctly." -Cameron Conaway, author of Caged: Memoirs of a Cage-Fighting Poet

Going Dark

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Ms. Ladybug and Mr. Honeybee: A Love Story at the End of Time

Children's Books

Panagiotou-Schneider, Pauline

Science, Nature & How It Works

The science is clear: Homo sapiens teeters on the brink of extinction. Industrial civilization is an omnicidal heat engine, yet terminating civilization heats the planet even faster in an outcome termed the McPherson Paradox. Only Love Remains: Dancing on the Edge of Extinction describes a way forward in light of our terminal diagnosis. In this book, professor emeritus of conservation biology Guy McPherson describes how we can proceed with urgency in the face of habitat loss for our species. While describing the evidence underlying human extinction within a few years, McPherson also provides an urgent and reasoned response to this prognosis.

Only Love Remains: Dancing at the Edge of Extinction

Earth Sciences

Woodthrush Productions

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Books by McPherson, Guy R.