[.ca] Commonsense Forestry (ISBN 1931498210)

very helpful & practical:
I purchased 23 acres of worn out farmland that I wanted to make into a productive forest. Most of the books I found discussed things from a commerical/industrial scale, and seemed to discourage innovation and experimentation. Mr. Morsbach's book discusses the experiences of someone who has 'been and done' over the last thirty years, with notable sucesses and honest appraisal of failures & setbacks. I especially like how he shows how 'experts' can have different opinions and even be quite wrong! His ideas about mixing species and direct seeding are very interesting, and have changed my approach to planting. I would certainly advise anyone who is planning to raise trees and is interested in woodland stewardship.

The Bible for the Hobby Tree Farmer:
An easy and witty prose makes this book a welcome relief from other books on the subject. The extensive Index makes it easy to find subjects scattered across chapters. A very comprehensive treatment of Direct Seeding, which is the low-cost approach to establishing a forest and very suitable to the small woodland owner. The Economic Analysis chapter is quite useful and an eye opener. This book will give you a second opinion on what is recommended by professional foresters and the DNR (Amazing fact: they are not always right !) Required reading for anybody that is looking into starting tree farming on a small scale.

Straight talk about managing your woodland:
I started my own tree-planting at about the same time the author did, in the early 70s, and I wish I had his insights. (I'm sure he wishes he had them then, too!) Not that it's ever too late. I'm going to gather some nuts this fall and try his direct seeding technique. I generally admire his independent approach. While I don't agree with everything he writes (he's a little too cavalier about the Lord!), I believe this book is one of the best around for the amateur landowner. It made me excited about my land again.

Common Sense Forestry Review:
"Common Sense Forestry" may be a unique concept on the silviculture shelves. It most certainly is a welcome rarity: both an entertaining read and a mother lode of basic, practical information. Morsbach has selected with a critical eye items of conventional forestry gospel and subjected them to empirical scrutiny. The survivors of these tests, as well as his own ideas and those gleaned from his "Mavericks of Forestry" circle are included in this common sense (no nonsense) treatise on growing trees. He seems to have given most ideas a fair look and a field test before he bestows his imprimatur. The many illustrations are well conceived and executed and are a helpful adjunct. Morsbach offers strong arguments on biodiversity (imperative), clearcutting (a no-no), herbicides (a last resort) and the economics of it all. I wish I could have read it during my woodland years, but it's here now to enjoy and benefit from. Thanks, Hans. Don Mulcahy Buffalo County, Wisconsin

A gift to woodland owners:
Bless Hans for the oodles of practical hands on advice he offers for the private woodland owner. He has helped me feel less dumb & scared about the 680 acres I own in N.C. Wisconsin. I find that on the one hand the woods is a restoration of my soul & on the other hand a burden of responsibility. For me, Common Sense Forestry has been way better than a university extension short course in forestry.