The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us

The author has written a terrific and fascinating book...and what an interesting life she has been living!

Both my 13 yr old daughter and myself loved Meg Lowman’s The Arbornaut. Her account of her lifelong love of the natural world which culminates into her global movement to save forests will leave you loving trees and having a deeper understanding for what women in STEM experience in their careers.

I bought this book to learn more about trees and learned tree canopies are a world of their own. Now I want to go into the tree tops and see for myself. Fascinating. An interesting side note is the authors experience of having her knowledge ignored because she is a woman

I now understand what it means to "live life to its fullest." Meg's story of her growth and development from a doggedly creative and curious child into a top-notch scientist-ecologist is incredibly moving and inspiring. Every parent should have their child(ren) read this book to see what is possible for themselves. Easily in my top three of the best non-fiction books I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

All that need be said about this book is to the author, thank you for your service.

Hybrid reading at its best: part memoir/ part naturalist journal. Like Chiron, nurturing and mentoring young learners, Meg brings botany, and the science of bugs and ecology well into the grasp of her public readers.We share a childhood in the Eastern woodlands of upstate New York and a nostalgic longing for the elm-lined streets of the Elmira of our youth. It’s hard to shake my vivid memories of halcyon Spring forays along the Chemung River searching for hepaticas, Dutchman britches and Jack-in-the-Pulpit with my mother. It is no wonder the author found her place in the world of botanical scientific research. As she describes, we grew up in a place that was rich in birds, plants and mammals that would inspire anyone to be a naturalist!And now she inspires so many of us with her storytelling and her vision to do something, anything, because one person’s passion does make a difference. You are invited to join her in the treetops, to become a citizen scientist and feed your curiosity. She outlines many ways you can make a difference, to have a voice.We must make a difference, for the sake of our children’s grandchildren. Reading this book sparks a fervor to act, to remember we live in a global village on this earth ship. Her groundbreaking choices and fearlessness go beyond her vaulting into the treetops and forging her way into a male-dominated profession. She is fearless in calling us out to do more, to donate time and money to discovery. and conservation. For the adventurous souls who want to don a seat harness and learn to inch their way up into the canopy, the author opens a doorway for that, as well.So buckle up, set your sights high and join in the adventure with Canopy Meg. There is a vastness to the landscape she will introduce you to. Perhaps you will be prompted to take a journey inward to see how you can be a part of the Mission Green and discover your power of one.

It takes a dense book to contain the research, impact, and living legacy of Meg Lowman. Yet in approachable and endearing style her aptly named book, "The Arbornaut", not only accomplishes that but lays out a compelling case of what each of us can (and must) do to mitigate the devastation of our planet’s richest sanctuaries of biodiversity: our old-growth forests.While I first approached this title with the anticipation of expanding my scientific understanding of forest ecology (and I did), I was hardly prepared for such an adventure with Meg across all 7 continents and up hundreds of feet into the canopies themselves. Detailing each forest within its context of geography, environment, regional economics, and unique climate-related challenges, I soon came face to face with the flora and fauna living in the heights well above the commotion of daily life. Sometimes sounding out the various genus and species she met in these upper reaches (and admittedly, sometimes not), I soon found myself captivated by their remarkable uniqueness and then seconds later, grieving for the precariousness of their survival. While she is not shy about demonstrating her command of the subject matter—which spans far beyond the trees themselves—she offers explanation and analogy that kept me engaged and in-tune with the significance of her observations.If this were simply a compilation of species encountered and the research her work inspired, it’d be a great read.But overshadowing the science is the story of a budding pioneer with unstoppable curiosity, courage, and determination to study the whole tree and not just its “big toe”—its trunk—as traditionally done in decades before her. Rigging a series of ropes and pulleys into branches overhead and “after a lot of thought and some trial and error”, Lowman hoists herself into the 8th continent. It’s 1978, and the world she discovers spawns decades of new research, educational outreach, eco-tourism, and global conservation efforts. To portray any of those achievements adequately requires (at least) its own paragraph. It is truly remarkable what Lowman has accomplished in her lifetime and continues accomplishing in her sixth decade.No impact of this significance comes without its hardship, though. As a "shy" female breaking into a male-dominated discipline, she encounters condescension, opposition, disapproval, and multiple setbacks. She shares these disappointments openly and without bitterness. In her own humble and practical way, she works around these temporary roadblocks much like she accommodates uncomfortable living and research conditions all throughout her career: she simply pushes on.As I reflect back on the nearly 8 hours we have spent together (the time it took me to read her book), “The Arbornaut” inspired me on a number of different levels: first, by Lowman’s personal sacrifice (any mom can attest to the emotional, physical, and oftentimes financial drain of balancing professional and family life—how many juggle this on a global scale?); by the integrity and meticulousness of her research style (no wonder it yielded such great discoveries); her results (which impact individual lives and scale to school districts, communities, forests, and countries). Finally, by being true to her highest calling, she’s created awareness, interest, and urgency for conservation efforts worldwide. There’s only one Meg Lowman, and readers, she’s done her part. It’s time to do ours!This is a must-read for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the impacts of climate change, those who teach science or seek to inspire kids in science, those who enjoy science, and those who just need a dose of inspiration of a life fully lived.My sincerest thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for allowing this review.

Mit Sicherheit Neuland bei den meisten LeserInnen. Man sieht den Bereich über den Köpfen beim Waldspaziergang mit anderen Augen und bekommt geschwollene Adern, wenn man an die brasilianischen Rodungen denkt. Aber auch der einzelne Baum im Garten wird auf einmal mehr als ein Zierstück oder Obstlieferant. Nicht leicht zu lesen, aber faszinierend.

Very readable, life story, research method and results, 8th winder of the world indeed, leaf audit in canopy of rainforest, brilliant.