Lob Trees in the Wilderness

The Human and Natural History of the Boundary Waters

2001
Authors:

Clifford Ahlgren and Isabel Ahlgren

The classic account of human impact on the North Woods.

Along the Minnesota-Ontario border, in the days of voyageurs, tall trees were used as guideposts in the uncharted wilderness to help fur traders and explorers find their way through the maze of lakes and portages. Branches were cut, leaving the middle of the trees bare with branches above and below. Clifford and Isabel Ahlgren, two of the most knowledgeable ecologists of the area, use nine native trees to serve as lob trees for this book, an ecological history of human activity in the Quetico-Superior wilderness area.

This superb book, Lob Trees in the Wilderness, a human and natural history of the Boundary Waters is based on 40 years of scientific study compiled by the Ahlgrens and staff members on the Wilderness Research Center on Basswood Lake. While much of their work was at one time pooh-poohed by the no-management forest advocates, it is becoming apparent that what they learned and what they advocate for the Boundary Waters is critical for the long-term health of the wilderness.

The Ely Echo

Along the Minnesota-Ontario border, in the days of voyageurs, tall trees were used as guideposts in the uncharted wilderness to help fur traders and explorers find their way through the maze of lakes and portages. Branches were cut, leaving the middle of the trees bare with branches above and below. Clifford and Isabel Ahlgren, two of the most knowledgeable ecologists of the area, use nine native trees to serve as lob trees for this book, an ecological history of human activity in the Quetico-Superior wilderness area.

Clifford Ahlgren and Isabel Ahlgren have retired from forest ecology after working many years at the Wilderness Research Foundation in Ely, Minnesota.

This superb book, Lob Trees in the Wilderness, a human and natural history of the Boundary Waters is based on 40 years of scientific study compiled by the Ahlgrens and staff members on the Wilderness Research Center on Basswood Lake. While much of their work was at one time pooh-poohed by the no-management forest advocates, it is becoming apparent that what they learned and what they advocate for the Boundary Waters is critical for the long-term health of the wilderness.

The Ely Echo

A fine, perceptive exploration. The wilderness is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota, and ‘lob trees’ are used as a poetic way to link the results of historical and ecological research in this setting. This is a well-illustrated book, built to be carried in hand or pack, as one travels through the lands under discussion.

Canadian Field-Naturalist

A remarkable book that is well researched, well illustrated, and well written.

Inland Seas

There is no one more qualified than the Ahlgrens to describe the ways human beings have affected the forest of this area.

Journal of Forest History