Planting Nature

by Cohen, Shaul Ephraim

• ISBN13: 9780520237704
• ISBN10: 0520237706
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

Trees hold a powerful place in American constructions of what is good in nature and the environment. As we attempt to cope with environmental crises, trees are increasingly enlisted with great fervor as agents of our stewardship over nature. In this innovative and impassioned book, Shaul E. Cohen exposes the way that environmental stewardship is undermined through the manipulation of trees and the people who plant them by a partnership of big business, the government, and tree-planting groups. He reveals how positive associations and symbols that have been invested in trees are exploited by an interlocking network of government agencies, private timber companies, and nongovernmental organizations to subvert the power of people who think that they are building a better world. Planting Naturedetails the history of tree planting in the United States and the rise of popular sentiment around trees, including the development of the Arbor Day holiday and tree-planting groups such as the National Arbor Day Foundation and American Forests. Drawing from internal papers, government publications, advertisements, and archival documents, Cohen illustrates how organizations promote tree planting as a way of shifting attention away from the causes of environmental problems to their symptoms, masking business-as-usual agendas. Ultimately,Planting Naturechallenges the relationships between a "green" public, the organizations that promote their causes, and the "powers that be," providing a cautionary tale of cooperation and deception that cuts across the political spectrum.

Author Biography

Shaul E. Cohen is Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Oregon.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Taking Control of Nature	1	(25)
Planting Patriotism, Cultivating Institutions	26	(22)
The National Arbor Day Foundation: Modifying the Natural World	48	(20)
American Forests: Planting the Future	68	(31)
Uncle Sam Plants for You	99	(27)
The Greatest Good	126	(26)
Celebritrees	152	(17)
Notes	169	(22)
Bibliography	191	(10)
Index	201