It is difficult to imagine any scientist interested in old-growth forests who would not consider this an important and necessary reference.
This is the only reference for old-growth forest locations in the eastern United States. Forests are organized by State and County. This exceptional survey is a help for forest ecologists who can use is to locate study sites. It is also useful for artists and those who love to experience the beauty of ancient forests.
This survey provided the first information about how much old-growth forest remains in the East: less than one percent. The largest areas of ancient forest left are in the Adirondacks of New York, and in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Congaree National Park in South Carolina also contains an exceptionally large area of never-logged forests. All thirty-four states covered in the survey contain at least a small amount of old-growth forest.
Robert Leverett contributed information to the volume. It was edited by Davis's son, John Davis, a well-known conservation adventurer. The foreword of this new version was written by Joan Maloof, the founder of the Old-Growth Forest Network and author of numerous books about trees and forests.
The cover is a photograph of The Rivulet in Massachusetts, an ancient forest on the homestead of William Cullen Bryant.