July 1, 2009
Washington Monthly
Forests at Their Limit
One scientist’s ground-level view.
By George M. Woodwell
Step with me from the cool moist forest of the Amazon basin into the edge of a thousand-acre tract of soybeans. Feel the weight of the tropical sun on that open field. Touch the bare earth between the soy plants and realize that one would not walk with bare feet more than a few steps on such a surface. Squinting in that brightness, retreat with me quickly into the comfort of the forest, where five layers of foliage shield us from a sun that burns directly overhead year-round ...
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