A thought-provoking look at how man and nature coexist, somewhat uneasily, within the Appalachian Forest, the worlds most diverse temperate woodlands, 80 percent of which is privately owned -- by the ancestors of homesteaders, outsiders whoveMoreA thought-provoking look at how man and nature coexist, somewhat uneasily, within the Appalachian Forest, the worlds most diverse temperate woodlands, 80 percent of which is privately owned -- by the ancestors of homesteaders, outsiders whove bought large and small tracts, absentee landlords and landowners, private groups and institutions, and giant corporations.Interviews with a diverse group of landowners -- a horse logger, a selective cutter, a ginseng grower, a clear cutter, a forest steward, a summer-camp owner, and others -- and the authors own experiences as a landowner illustrate the private forests past, present, and future.