The arbornaut A life discovering the eighth continent in the trees above us

Margaret Lowman

Book - 2021

As a graduate student exploring the rain forests of Australia, Lowman sewed a harness from an old seat belt, gathered hundreds of feet of rope, and found a tool belt for her pencils and rulers. Up she went, into the trees, in order to be a better monitor. Over the years she planned one of the first treetop walkways, and helped create more of these bridges through the eighth continent all over the world. Here she launches us into the life and work of an ecologist and conservationist, and offers hope, specific plans, and recommendations for actions that will make an immediate and lasting impact against climate change. -- adapted from jacket.

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Subjects
Genres
Autobiographies
Biographies
Published
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2021.
Language
English
Main Author
Margaret Lowman (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
xi, 350 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780374162696
  • Foreword
  • Ten Tips of Field Biology for Every Aspiring Arbornaut
  • Prologue: How to see the Whole Tree (And What that Means for the Forest)
  • 1. From Wildflower to Wallflower: A Girl Naturalist in Rural America
  • American Elm (Ulmus americana)
  • 2. Becoming a Forest Detective: First Encounters with Temperate Trees from New England to Scotland
  • My Favorite Birches (Betula papyrifera, B. pendula, and B. pubescent)
  • 3. One Hundred Feet in the Air: Finding a Way to Study Leaves in the Australian Rain Forests
  • Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum)
  • 4. Who Ate My Leaves?: Tracking-and Discovering!-Australian Insects
  • Giant Stinging Tree (Dendrocnide excelsa)
  • 5. Dieback in the Outback: Juggling Marriage and Investigations of Gum Tree Death in Australia's Sheep Country
  • New England Peppermint (Eucalyptus nova-anglica)
  • 6. Hitting the Glass Canopy: How Strangler Figs and Tall Poppies Taught Me to Survive as a Woman In Science
  • Figs (Ficus spp.)
  • 7. Arbornauts for a Week: Citizen Scientists Explore the Amazon Jungles
  • The Great Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentandra)
  • 8. Tiger Tracks, Tree Leopards, and Vedippala Fruits: Exporting My Toolkit to Train Arbornauts in India
  • Vedippala (Cullenia exarillata)
  • 9. A Treetop Bioblitz: Counting 1,659 Species in Malaysia's Tropical Forests in Ten Days
  • Dark Red Meranti (Shorea curtisii)
  • 10. Building Trust Between Priests and Arbornauts: Saving the Forests of Ethiopia, One Church at a Time
  • Red Stinkwood or African Cherry (Prunus africana)
  • 11. Classrooms in the Sky-For Everyone!: Wheelchairs and Water Bears in the Treetops
  • Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
  • 12. Can We Save Our Last, Best Forests?: Promoting Conservation Through Mission Green
  • Glossary
  • Acknowledgments
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Conservationist Lowman (Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology) takes a passionate look at the "unexplored wonderland" of trees in this vivid survey of life among forest canopies. Over half of all land creatures live "about one hundred feet or more above our heads," Lowman writes, and notes that, historically, information about trees has focused from "trunk-level," despite the fact that the dark ground is vastly different from the sun-filled canopy. A self-professed "arbornaut," Lowman recounts research experiences high in the foliage in Australia, where she studied leaves; India, where she learned about the canopies above endangered tigers; and Scotland, where she got her start as a master's student in ecology. She offers snapshots of her childhood--born in Upstate New York, she collected wildflowers, twigs, bird nests, stones, and feathers--and mentions the difficulties she has faced as a woman working in field biology. Lowman shines in her ability to combine accessible science with exciting personal anecdotes that effectively convey the "thrill of aerial exploration" and bolster her case that trees--and sustainable ecosystems--are worth studying, protecting, and preserving. Nature lovers will find much to consider. Agent: Jessica Papin, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Lowman's contributions to ecology are numerous, as a professor, science communicator, international collaborator, and leader in conservation organizations. In this science-oriented memoir, she details a lifetime of experiences, starting with her childhood in rural New York, where she pressed wildflowers and measured eggshells. Early in her career, as a field biologist studying Australian rain forests, she realized that she couldn't truly observe trees and leaves from the ground; she decided to climb up into the forest canopy using slingshots, ropes, and a homemade harness. Soon, she was building aerial walkways on multiple continents, to bring researchers, students, and tourists into the tree canopy. Lowman organized international conferences to bring attention to biodiversity, build partnerships across national borders, and train the next generation of canopy explorers. In this memoir, she takes readers along as she meets biologists and ecologists and studies forests around the world. She also relates ongoing rampant racial and gender discrimination in science careers. VERDICT Lowman connects her life to her research in chronological chapters, interspersed with short histories of various tree species. A highly engaging read for fans of popular science or ecology titles, and budding (or experienced) scientists.--Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A riveting memoir from "Canopy Meg," a pioneer in treetop science. Lowman, biologist and director of the TREE Foundation, points out that a scientist learning about a tree by studying its trunk makes as much sense as a doctor examining a patient by examining the big toe. But that's how it was done for centuries. Just as scuba gear inspired more advanced ocean research during the 1950s, ropes and harnesses opened up treetops in the 1980s. Calling forest canopies the eighth continent is no exaggeration. "Upward of half of all terrestrial creatures," writes Lowman, "live about one hundred feet or more above our heads….Across more than sixty thousand species of trees, nearly every one hosts unique communities." The author excelled in a discipline in which she was often the only woman and succeeded despite encounters with discouragement and harassment. Obtaining an undergraduate degree in the U.S., a masters in Scotland, and a doctorate in Australia, Lowman plunged into field research, teaching, speaking, and becoming the "mother of canopy research." Her obsession became foliage--not a gripping subject except in her hands. Part of a complex architecture, leaves on a single tree differ dramatically. Larger and darker lower leaves efficiently use tiny amounts of light that filter down. Top foliage is smaller, thicker, and bright green: a high-powered chlorophyll factory suited to hot, sunny conditions. Eventually, Lowman turned her attention to the universe of largely unknown insects that feed off the leaves. While some publications cite about 5% to 8% annual defoliation, the author discovered that canopies routinely suffer up to 25% damage. Lowman ends her chronological account halfway through, devoting the remainder to lively descriptions of her discoveries, educational activities, and conservation advocacy. With more than 15 billion trees cut down each year and climate change accelerating insect losses, she urges advocates of protecting endangered animals to pay more attention to the destruction of the forests they inhabit. Solid science combined with a pleasing writing style make for a winning book. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.