Ozark Forest Forensics

Abstract

Frederick Paillet and Steven Stephenson are sharing a story with readers. This story is rich with the knowledge, facts and understanding these two scientists have acquired about the Ozark Forest. Ozark Forest Forensics endeavors to describe a forest that to many is unfamiliar. Straddling the western edge of the eastern deciduous forest and the Great plains, the Ozarks are biogeographically, floristically, and climatologically distinct from the adjacent ecological regions. The authors attempt a comprehensive examination of a complex forest that does not characterize easily. Their tone is accessible, almost folksy, as the writers seem to address the reader directly; rather than a book about the Ozark forest, it is a book for those interested in the Ozarks. As they explain early in the book, the information, descriptions, and ideas are directed toward the Ozark sojourner, the hiker casually enjoying the forest. The aim to inform this hiker is admirable and important. In this regard, it serves as sort of reference in that we can imagine a hiker returning home after a long hike in the rugged Ozarks and wanting to know more about the curious plants, trees, geological formation that the hiker observed. While the deliverable is accessible, some of the many examples do require a bit of exploration for the reader. The book, therefore is not simply a field guide, but a field guide that requires some mental processes of the reader. The addition of a glossary does present the “feel” of a reference book! Although the Ozark physiographic region extends into Missouri, parts of Oklahoma, and even a bit into southern Illinois and eastern Kansas, this book is written from a decidedly Arkansas perspective. Given the authors’ familiarity with Arkansas, that is understandable, but there are distinctions in Missouri Ozarks that the reader would not be aware of. More contrast within that region and some examples of the Ozarks outside of Arkansas could help orient the reader more generally. With an Arkansas Ozarks emphasis, this book might disappoint those looking for more insight into Missouri Ozarks, but the authors cover broadly the important elements of the Ozark forest and therefore include many examples and unique areas that do apply to other forests, e.g. Missouri Ozarks. Other substantial ways that this book differs from a more standard field guide or forest history include the discussion of often neglected geological parent material. Geology and soil structure are often neglected when discussing forests and are critical to understanding Ozark communities. However, the intricate details of different geologic formations and the accompanying change in plant species composition could have been developed in more detail, because even slight variation in slope position, topography, and aspect result in dramatic changes in plant communities. The Ozarks include soils that are limestone residuum, sandstone residuum, and exposed igneous material—a wide range that influences plant and animal communities both overtly and with nuance. At times the style is slightly esoteric. For example, the chapter on “other forest realms” it is not clear on what the word “realms” refers to. After reading the chapter, it seems that “realms” might refer to natural communities, ecological land types, or simply different forest types. Introducing the readers to these terms would clarify otherwise complex topics. The reader may benefit from the authors’ having related the wealth of research on disturbance in forests of Missouri and Ozarks. Chronologies describing fire history, wind events, etc. have