While most how-to forestry guides are tailored for Eastern landowners, former HCN intern Bryan Foster has brought the issue west in his new book, Wild Logging.

Foster introduces readers to Western landowners, foresters and loggers, describing the physical work of marking timber sales, cutting trees, performing prescribed burns and removing felled timber.

As he tells their stories, Foster answers technical questions: Which trees should I cut? What does forest management cost? What is sustainable forestry? The book’s appendices offer readers contacts for sustainable forest management and land protection, and include a sample timber contract and conservation easement.

There’s one caveat to the book, however: It’s tough to make a living as a sustainable forester. Foster writes that, while it’s possible to make money this way, “none of these logging methods maximizes profits.” He suggests, “In particular, they are suitable for many landowners who have other income.”

Wild Logging: A Guide to Environmentally and Economically Sustainable Forestry
By Bryan Foster. 161 pages, softcover: $16.
Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2003.