The Lost Forest (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780816697960)

The story of a forest "lost" by a surveying error--and all the flora and fauna to be found there

A forest, of course, doesn't need a map to know where to grow. But people need a map to find it. And in 1882 when surveyors set out to map a part of Minnesota, they got confused, or tired and cold (it was November), and somehow mapped a great swath of ancient trees as a lake. For more than seventy-five years, the mistake stayed on the map, and the forest remained safe from logging--no lumber baron expects to find timber in a lake, after all.

The Lost Forest tells the story of this lucky error and of the 144 acres of old-growth red and white pine it preserved. With gentle humor, Phyllis Root introduces readers to the men at their daunting task, trekking across Minnesota, measuring and marking the vast land into townships and sections and quarters. She takes us deep into a stand of virgin pine, one of the last and largest in the state, where U.S. history and natural history meet. With the help of Betsy Bowen's finely observed and beautiful illustrations, she shows us all the life that can be found in the Lost Forest.

Accompanying the story is a wealth of information about the Cadastral Survey and about the plants and animals that inhabit forests--making the book a valuable guide for readers who might want to look even deeper into the history of Minnesota, the flora and fauna of old-growth forests, and the apportioning of land in America.

Author: Phyllis Root
ISBN-10: 0816697965
ISBN-13: 9780816697960
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Language: English
Published: 04/02/2019
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 11.00h x 7.20w x 0.50d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/11/2019
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2019
School Library Journal 05/10/2019 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2019 pg. 148
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2019 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style