The book A Place for Inquiry, A Place for Wonder: The Andrews Forest by historian Bill Robbins draws on print materials, oral histories, conversations, and Bill’s own ramblings in the forest beginning in 1964. The book offers a thorough account of the place and the people of Andrews Forest; its programs of research, education, partnership with land managers, and arts/humanities. Bill places the work of the Andrews Forest within its larger and continuously evolving societal and political contexts, which both influenced and were influenced by discoveries at the Andrews Forest. He recounts stories concerning watershed science, characterization of old growth, and the northern spotted owl, and extends the account to the current cast of characters and projects.
A conversation about the history of the Andrews Forest, including a Q&A with Bill Robbins and Michael Paul Nelson, is on the Andrews Forest YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/5PikollmpwE
Bill Robbins discusses his book and the Andrews Forest long-term research, in light of the September 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, on the OSU Press Blog: http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/blog/inquiry-and-wonder-in-andrews-forest
If you are interested in learning more about or purchasing Bill Robbins’ book, A Place for Inquiry, A Place for Wonder: The Andrews Forest, you can find it at the OSU Press website. Through December 31, 2020, take 30% off and free shipping when you purchase directly through the OSU Press website. Enter the promo code 20HOLIDAY at checkout to receive the discount.
From OSU Press: “In A Place for Inquiry, A Place for Wonder, historian William Robbins celebrates the long-overlooked Andrews Forest, highlighting its importance to environmental science and policy. From its founding in 1948, the experimental forest has been the site of wide-ranging research, beginning with postwar studies on the conversion of old-growth timber to fast-growing young stands. Research shifted in the next few decades to long-term ecosystem investigations of climate, streamflow, water quality, vegetation succession, biogeochemical cycling, and the effects of forest management, putting the Andrews at the center of a dramatic shift in federal timber practices: from industrial, intensive forest management policies to strategies emphasizing biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.”
Bill Robbins is an OSU Emeritus Distinguished Professor of History. He has authored and edited many books, including “Landscapes of Conflict: The Oregon Story, 1940-2000” (published 2004) and “Landscapes of Promise: The Oregon Story, 1800-1940” (published 1997).