Social - Environmental Sustainability

HI, I'M CHRIS MASER. WELCOME TO MY HOME PAGE.

"Maser makes a compelling case for the importance of maintaining Nature's processes, which ultimately sustain the quality of our life."

--R.S. Whaley, Ph. D., President
College of Environmental Science and Forestry
State University of New York

"I am very impressed by the contribution you have made to Oregon's natural environment and our collective quality of life."

--John A. Kitzhaber, M.D.
Governor, State of Oregon

"As you state 'there is a need for integrating science and social values in a way that can brings humanity closer to the prospect of social-environmental sustainability.' In 1953, I did field work with Margaret Mead in Papua New Guinea. She stated that it should never be said that one person cannot make an important difference. It was something like that. I feel your work will make a profound difference. You integrate the need to hear the voices of children. As a mother and grandmother, I am particularly sensitive to the needs of children. Chris you are doing wonderful work."

-- Lenora Foerstel
Emeritus Professor of Art and Anthropology
Maryland Institute College of Art

BECAUSE YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE, THIS PAGE IS AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF MY WORK, LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, NATIONALLY, AND INTERNATIONALLY.

I Work in the Following Areas of Social-Environmental Sustainability:

• Setting the Stage for Social-Environmental Sustainability within Communities
  • Understanding the Principles and Concepts of a Sustainable Community
  • Crafting Vision Statements
  • Understanding Leadership
  • Understanding the Importance of Ecological Diversity
  • Understanding the Design Interface Among Ecosystems, Municipalities, and Business
  • Resolving Social-Environmental Conflicts
    
    
• Facilitating Vision Statements
  
  
• Teaching Leadership
  
  
• Resolving Social-Environmental Conflicts
  
  
• Sustainable Forestry:
  • Forest ecology
  • Sustainable Forestry Practices
  • The ecology of wood in streams, rivers, estuaries, and oceans
  • Assessments for Forest Certification through the Forest Stewardship Council-U.S.
    

• Social-Environmental Education for All Ages
  

• Consulting (including workshops):  See my Résumé for examples of clients.

• Public Speaking:  See Selected Speeches for examples of my presentations.
  

• Author and Editor for Book Series on Sustainable Community Development:  See Bibliography for a complete listing of my publications.
  

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Chris Maser is a courageous writer. I've been his editor on two books—Our Forest Legacy:  Today's Decisions, Tomorrow's Consequences and The Perpetual Consequences of Fear and Violence:  Rethinking the Future—and I know quite well that Chris poses the problems our society faces in ways that don't pander to popular opinion and simple slogans, but rather draw the mind down the hard and complex path of systemic thinking. Everything in our lives is related to everything else. Even in the largest city, the soils of remote forests sustain life there. He presents an unusual blend of hard science and the wisdom of the ages, equally comfortable discussing the chemistry of organic decomposition, economics, psychology, and history. My favorite chapter from his work is "Learning to See a Forest by Understanding Its Dynamics." It is all about learning to see the world in its multi- and related dimensions. We are not individuals, Chris Maser would say, we are dynamic.

Robert Merrill, Ph.D.
Editor, Maisonneuve Press
Professor, Literature and Humanities
Maryland Institute College of Art

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• Writing—some of the books I have written, co-authored, or edited:
  
  

  The Redesigned Forest

  Fleas of the Pacific Northwest

  Forest Primeval:  The Natural History of an Ancient Forest

  Global Imperative:  Harmonizing Culture and Nature

  Sustainable Forestry:  Philosophy, Science, and Economics

  From the Forest to the Sea:  The Ecology of Wood in Streams, Rivers, Estuaries, and Oceans

  Resolving Environmental Conflict:  Towards Sustainable Community Development

  Sustainable Community Development:  Principles and Concepts

  Setting The Stage For Sustainability:  A Citizen's Handbook

  Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development

  Mammals of the Pacific Northwest:  From the Coast to the High Cascades

  Reuniting Economy and Ecology in Sustainable Development

  Ecological Diversity in Sustainable Development:  The Vital and Forgotten Dimension

  Land-Use Planning for Sustainable Development

  Forest Certification in Sustainable Development:  Healing the Landscape

  The World is in My Garden:  A Journey of Consciousness

  The Perpetual Consequences of Fear and Violence:  Rethinking the Future

  Evaluating Sustainable Development:  Giving People a Voice in Their Destiny

  Our Forest Legacy:  Today's Decisions, Tomorrow's Consequences

  Of Ditches and Ponds:  A Journey Through the Metaphors of Childhood and Maturity

  Teaching Kids to Change The World:  Lessons to Inspire Social Responsibility for Grades 6 - 12

  Of Paradoxes and Metaphors:  Understanding Some of Life's Lessons

  Trees, Truffles, and Beasts:  How Forests Function

  Sustainable Development:  Principles, Frameworks, And Case Studies

• The Redesigned Forest. 1988. R.&E. Miles Publishers, San Pedro, CA. 234pp. (Revised with "Sustainable Forestry:  Philosophy, Science, and Economics." 1994.) Published in Canadian, Czech, Slovak, and Polish editions.
  
  "Author, lecturer, and international consultant on forest management issues, Chris Maser of Corvallis, Oregon, is known to some as the 'Ghandi of the Forest.' He was employed as research biologist for 12 years with the Bureau of Land Management and is considered an expert on ancient or old-growth forests. His informed, nonadversarial approach toward environmental issues and competing interest groups has won him the respect of conservationists, government agencies, and members of the timber industry …. Your book, 'The Redesigned Forest,' seems to be written as much by a poet as a scientist."—Will Hornyak, The Stewards' Journal.
  
  For more information online, see:  The Redesigned Forest
  
  

• Fleas of the Pacific Northwest. 1988. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR. 296 pp. (Junior author with Robert E. Lewis and Joanne H. Lewis.)
  
  For more information online, see:  Fleas of the Pacific Northwest
  
  

• Forest Primeval: The Natural History of an Ancient Forest 1989. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, CA. 282 pp. (Reprinted in 2001 by Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon.) Published in a Canadian, Czech, and Slovak editions.
  
  "I have added to my list of heros Chris Maser, a gentle, kind, unpretentious man endowed with a gift—rare, but much needed in our time—the ability to teach. In his books, articles, lectures, and field trips, this man unselfishly gives of himself, articulately and effectively passing knowledge from his mind to yours or mine or anyone willing to learn. A walk through the woods with Chris is a learning experience second to none. Every step is the equivalent of reading a chapter in a book, of mastering a complex concept, cracking a difficult code. … In the preface to his book [Forest Primeval], this great naturalist says, 'So, I offer you my hand. Take it and come back in time with me that I may paint for you with words the beauty and dignity of the land as I have seen it.' … As I said earlier, the heroes on my list, including Chris Maser, are much more than naturalists; some are prophets."—Alex Chappell, Nature's Call.
  
  For more information online, see:  Forest Primeval
  
  

• Global Imperative:  Harmonizing Culture and Nature. 1992. Stillpoint Publishing, Walpole, NH. 267 pp. (Revised with "Ecological Diversity in Sustainable Development:  The Vital and Forgotten Dimension." 1999).
  
       "'So, change, which includes both creation and extinction is the basis of the world around us. As such, change is the catalyst of diversity … the richness of the world. We are losing the diversity of life worldwide.'
       "Internationally recognized forest ecology expert and consultant, Chris Maser, takes us ever so lightly through the birth of the Universe to creation-extinction and onto the evolution and possible destiny of humanity. This book covers so much ground so softly, always respecting nature's wisdom and humanity's freedom of choice. For example, he looks at the metamorphosis of a forest and how in North America we have chosen to try to eliminate old-growth forests in favor of plantations of trees because intellectually this seems more efficient to maximize profits. This choice eliminates the huge panorama of biodiversity associated with a real forest; animals, soil renewal, and organisms and processes thereby decrease. Thus begins the 'trilogy of extinction [which,]—beginning in secret with intellectually created extinction, passing through the hidden economics of extinction, and completed with the visible manifestation of extinction—is the result of the linear, product-oriented thinking of our Western Society.' Ultimately, this is a crisis of our personal [inner] landscapes that manifests in the outer landscape. There are no quick fixes and our only real choice is to quickly become a society where biological richness is a measure of economic health.
       "Much of this you have heard before, but not this well put together. Our animal-environmental nature, economic and political nature, and freedom of choice is gently interwoven in a detached way that ends with, '… which baton we pass … will reflect some of the many faces of creation and some of the many faces of extinction in all their multitudinous dimensions, faces that are but a reflection of the Eternal Mystery.' Good stuff, humbly offered!"— Sweet Fern3(3):19, Summer 1993.
  
  For more information online, see:  Global Imperative
  
  

• Sustainable Forestry: Philosophy, Science, and Economics. 1994. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, FL. 373 pp.
  
  "This beautifully written book is more descriptive than prescriptive, but gives the reader a true sense of what must be considered to maintain a sustainable forest as defined by ecosystem processes rather than extraction. Maser describes ecosystem processes, not logging techniques."—Howard Drossman, Catamount Institute, Colorado Springs, CO.
  
  For more information online, see:  Sustainable Forestry
  
  

• From the Forest to the Sea: The Ecology of Wood in Streams, Rivers, Estuaries, and Oceans. 1994. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, FL. 200 pp. (Senior author with James R. Sedell.)
  
  "This is a book everyone should read. It describes a connection that is both vital to ecological and commercial health and one which we have chosen, at least recently, to know little about. The connection between logs, rivers, and ocean life is both easier to see and easier to understand, once explained, than the esoterica of ants in the Amazon or 'biogeochemical cycles.' It illustrates deftly that it is the connections that count. We ignore them at our peril. The odds are that you won't again ignore this one if you read on."—John C. Gordon, Pinchot Professor of Forestry, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
  
  For more information online, see:  Forest to Sea
  
  

• Resolving Environmental Conflict: Towards Sustainable Community Development. 1996. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, FL. 200 pp.
  
       "This synthesis of 'transformative principles' articulates the world view presented in workshops facilitated by Chris Maser. He has been called in when agencies have exhausted other options for settlement of disputes over forest management and are faced with the threat of legal action. … Written in a motivational style, the book presents themes from ecological and social sciences interwoven with strong value statement to sustain the idealism necessary for participants to work together in achieving their vision ….
       "By emphasizing the theme of transformative facilitation, Maser seeks to inspire readers to move beyond mere 'problem-solving.' He writes for those who believe that implications for future generations are more important than is immediate settlement of an environmental dispute. From his perspective, the problem-solving approach to facilitation is something less than transformative. A mutually acceptable solution resulting from mere problem-solving may be viewed as a lose ⁄ lose rather than a win ⁄ win compromise, depending on the state of mind of participants. In his workshops, Maser consciously strives to alter participants' state of mind to facilitate development of moral responsibility for stewardship of sustainable communities. He does so by facilitating discussion of an ecosystem from the different perspectives of disputants.
       " … As more people recognize the diversity of cultural lenses through which stakeholder groups view environmental issues, the ways in which environmental disputes are resolved will also shift. This book provided another meaning to the term 'sustainable development.' Scientists, whose work is likely to interface with sustainable development at home or abroad, are advised to inform themselves of the multiple cultural lenses that affect the decisions of their collaborators …. This book is an excellent example of one cultural lens that both shapes and filters the information received by its believers."—Dr. Jane M. Packard, Texas A. & M. University. Ecosystem Health, Vol.4. 1998.
  
  For more information online, see:  Conflict Resolution
  
  

• Sustainable Community Development: Principles and Concepts. 1997. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, FL. 257 pp.
  
  "An approach to sustainable development that begins in the American backyard instead of in Africa or Indonesia and poses a refreshing point of view:  the most voracious consumers in history must change. Maser challenges preconceptions of sustainable development's meaning, developing the idea of sustainable community as a continual process in which there are no definitive answers, thus demanding that local groups, governments, and leaders must begin to make value choices which can be passed to the next generation. The foundation of the argument lies in 'think globally, act locally,' but the heart is fixed on changing consciousness as the vehicle to a shared societal vision."—© Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
  
  For more information, see:  Sustainable Community
  
  

• Setting The Stage For Sustainability: A Citizen's Handbook. 1998. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 275 pp. (Senior author with Russ Beaton and Kevin Smith.)
  
  "By helping us to see the connection of the individual to the whole, the one to the many, this book stands out as a remarkable tool, as does Sustainable Community Development …."—Jane M. Silberstein, Washburn, WI.
  
  For more information online, see:  Setting the Stage
  
  

• Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development. 1998. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 235 pp.
  
       "Chris Maser's 25 years as a social scientist made him aware of the connection between environmental degradation and human activity. 'Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development' is the fourth book of a series about the various facets of sustainable development. The goal of the series is to help readers realize they are responsible for the planet's sustainable evolution and that they have the moral obligation and duty to preserve options for future generations. In order to do so, communities must take responsibility for their own future and determine a local shared vision of their future to serve as an organizing context to plan their actions. Defining a vision requires inner work to shift from a self-centered to an other-centered attitude, and a successful implementation requires effective leadership. The realization of local communities will ultimately lead to a global society. 'Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development' emphasizes the importance of balancing the material and spiritual components to link environmental issues to society. The book examines leadership in an original way:  it does not propose a model or a method to be an effective leader but insists on the philosophical basis of leadership.
       "'Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development' is well written and accessible to a broad audience. The book is extremely rich in ideas but it is not overwhelming. Abstractions are turned in concrete examples or explained through analogies, thus making the underlying concept clear. The book is very practical and provides concrete tools to bring diverse people together to find new solutions and inspire other people to join them in the process. The author uses his experience as a consultant to give examples of questions to ask or indications as how to deal with children to understand their own values, but he also gives tips on the emotional implications of being a leader and how to overcome some difficulties."—Aurélie Brunie, Penn State.
  
  For more information online, see:  Vision and Leadership
  
  

• Mammals of the Pacific Northwest: From the Coast to the High Cascades. 1998. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR. 406 pp.
  
           "Mammals of the Pacific Northwest is as much a personal journey as it is a natural history of mammals of the region. Most vertebrate ecologists of Maser's generation grew up as kids fascinated by the animals around them; they crawled through bushes, waded in marshes, and caught everything that came within reach. Few have remained naturalists because science, even vertebrate science, has rapidly moved in the direction of rigorous hypothesis testing, experimental design, and high powered statistical analysis. There seems to be little place for naturalists in this new climate, and that is our loss.
           "Few people, scientists or otherwise, have had as extensive and intensive studies and personal interactions with as many mammalian species as Maser. For that reason alone, the book is a treasure trove of fact, observation, and supposition, from the diets of bats to observations of personality differences among individual shrews. In this book, Maser presents a lifetime of observations from a distance to up-close and personal. As Maser himself says in the introduction:  'I have now spent over thirty years in a consummate love affair with science—mostly studying mammals in the wild …. I have over many years learned to know them.' Indeed he has.
           "Mammals of the Pacific Northwest is not a field guide, and it doesn't pretend to be one, although most of the information found in field guides is present in this book as well. It is a taxonomically arranged natural history of these animals, interspersed with some delightfully poignant and occasionally hilarious remembrances of particular individual mammals or events, and as such is remarkably readable. Because it is written from the naturalist's perspective, this is the book that the serious student of mammals should read before going out in the field to observe, trap, or study mammals. To borrow from current vernacular, this book helps one to 'get inside' an animal's head, an ability often lacking in current generations that haven't had the luxury of many years of patient first-hand observation.
           "Maser's objective was to reach a general audience, and to share his life-long love affair with Pacific Northwest mammals both by presenting his vast storehouse of life history knowledge and by telling interesting (if not endearing) stories of individual animals he has known. I think he has succeeded. Readers will get an enhanced view of what otherwise would be a series of entries in a field guide; I believe this was Maser's intent. As a professional ecologist, this would be the first source I would want to read if I wanted to learn more about a mammal I planned to study."—Bruce E. Coblentz, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis. Northwest Science 73:140-141 (1999).
  
  For more information online, see:  Mammals
  
  

• Reuniting Economy and Ecology in Sustainable Development. 1999. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 108 pp. (Junior author with Russ Beaton.)
  
  "Fight against it as I might, having been trained as an economist, I view much of the world through markets and statistics. Luckily, I have had mentors in the profession who question the narrow vision of standard doctrine. This book serves such a purpose. For non-economists, this book reminds sustainable development advocates that their concepts must make economic sense; for economists, it questions perceived truths, and looks beyond traditional economics to alternative perspectives for important answers."—Christopher Meier.
  
  For more information online, see:  Reuniting Econ. & Ecol
  
  

• Ecological Diversity in Sustainable Development: The Vital and Forgotten Dimension. 1999. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 402 pp. Published in a Persian edition.

  "Drawing on a career as a researcher in natural history and ecology, Maser expands the concept of diversity from its usual biological realm to embrace all aspects of the environment. He explains that communities must maintain natural cycles of the landscape in ways that provide enough energy to survive, explores how thoughts dictate actions, argues that a rise in consciousness must precede scientific and technological solutions, and suggests how to design a future in which culture and nature are in harmony."—© Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
  
  For more information online, see:  Ecological Diversity
  
  

• Land-Use Planning for Sustainable Development. 2000. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 203 pp. (Junior author with Jane Silberstein.)
  
  "Silberstein and Maser have written a must-read book for anyone interested in local community-planning with a definite sustainability twist. I read it for a paper on sustainable participation and found it to be quite easy to read; plenty of case examples and thought-provoking ideas make sure of that. I especially liked reading about the everyday problems that are so common in community planning, it makes it easy to relate to."—A review from Sweden via Amazon.com
  
  For more information online, see:  Land-Use Planning
  
  

• Forest Certification in Sustainable Development: Healing the Landscape. 2000. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 235 pp. (Senior author with Walter Smith.)
  
  "An environmental dispute facilitator and a former logger and current certification and training consultant discuss the philosophical foundations of current forestry practices, followed by discussion of the principles and practices of sustainable forestry and how the process of certification can enhance it. Throughout, emphasis is placed on balancing ecologically sound and people-friendly forestry practices. Topics include certification and trusteeship; the history of forestry certification; how certification works; and some of the common problems encountered during the process. Attention is given to the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program."—© Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

  For more information online, see:  Forest Certification
  
  

• The World is in My Garden: A Journey of Consciousness. 2005. White Cloud Press, Ashland, OR. 232 pp. (Senior author with Zane Maser.) UK edition by Polair Publishing, London. 2003.
  
  "In a world awash in holistic self-help books this one stands out because of Chris Maser's pedigree as a world-renowned ecologist. … The general message of this book—we must change our relationship with the rest of the world in order to survive—is the most crucial problem facing our species."—Gary McFarland, BookPeople's Book of the Day.
  
  For more information online, see:  The World is in My Garden
  
  

• The Perpetual Consequences of Fear and Violence: Rethinking the Future. 2004. Maisonneuve Press, Washington, D.C. 373 pp.
  
  "For those who have been appalled as I have been by our politician's program to end violence with war and violence, Chris Maser's book will come as a great relief. He shows how fear insidiously works its way into almost every part of our lives and in doing so corrupts our decision-making. It's fear that makes us believe violence is a solution. Our media is now obsessed with making us afraid, and we need strong, positive books like this one in order to think our way through fear toward beliefs about society and other people that lead to peaceful relations. The humane and moral response to the tragedy of September 11th is what Maser offers in his book; it's a courageous statement given the social climate that now prevails. I recommend this book as a means to productive dialogue and a way to begin to think outside the non-productive cycle of violence that defines our lives today."—Susan Sarandon, Actor/Activist.
  
  For more information online, see:  Fear and Violence

  

• Evaluating Sustainable Development: Giving People a Voice in Their Destiny. 2004. Stylus Publishing, LLC, Sterling, VA. 192 pp. (Junior author with Okechukwu Ukaga)
  
  "The authors apply the concepts and practice of evaluation to all temporal stages of program management. Their evaluation processes ask us whether we should start a project, how it's working, whether we should change its course, and whether it is accomplishing its goals and objectives. They advocate ferreting out current values and conditions as a precursor to evaluation. This provides a baseline or starting point; so people can set goals for getting to an even better place, and effectively measure their progress toward that future place. In their model, a baseline description of a community, culture and organization is preparatory step toward crafting an evaluation of community stability and sustainability.
  
  "They show us how to take our people beyond the usual drudgery and isolation of evaluation process, using the process to facilitate decisions, demonstrate accountability, enhance relationships and support planning. They make it critical for stakeholders to play active roles in evaluation of sustainable development so the challenges, opportunities, and circumstances of their world are represented therein. This form of participatory evaluation is a precursor to participatory decision-making. The involvement of advocates in evaluation of their own programs makes them the best judges of its success.
  
  "This book has broad application. Ukaga and Maser have grounded their recommendations in their respective practices—from Minnesota to Nigeria. It offers evaluation methods for sustainability on both global and local scales; for those addressing immediate problems of survival and development in non-industrialized countries, and for those involved in large organizations and industrialized nations."—Dr. Steven B. Daley-Laursen, Dean, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.

  For more information online, see:  Evaluating Sustainable Development

  

• Our Forest Legacy: Today's Decisions, Tomorrow's Consequences. 2005. Maisonneuve Press, Washington, D.C. 255pp.
  
  "Maser presents a unique, possibly visionary, view of how humans interact with forests and how the author feels this interaction should change. I suspect that many readers will scoff at the ideas presented, others may find that their fundamental philosophies have been changed by reading the book. The scientific information in the book is high quality and current, although it is more aimed at a lay audience than for students or scientists who are already knowledgeable about principles of forest ecology. Forest managers, on the other hand, could be enlightened by many of the ideas and thoughts presented here.
  
  "This thoughtful and inspirational book is as much a philosophical monograph as a scientific text, although the elements of philosophy and science are nicely blended. The book is peppered with lovely quotes from all aspects of the human experience, including politics, literature, science and art. It starts with a careful and detailed examination of its own purpose, which I would describe as the author's personal prescription for a new relationship between humans and forests—one that focuses on viewing forests (especially, but not exclusively, public lands) as a living trust, with each successive generation bearing responsibility to ensure that the integrity of the forest is maintained for future generations. The focus is on the United States, although numerous allusions and references are more global."—Dr. Barbara J. Bond, Professor, Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

  For more information online, see:  Our Forest Legacy

  

• Of Ditches And Ponds: A Journey Through The Metaphors Of Childhood And Maturity. 2006. Woven Strings Publishing, Amarillo, TX. 282 pp. E-Book 2505KB
  
  "This deeply philosophical memoir closely examines that place in all of us where the human world intersects with the natural one. His respect and awe for all life is, in Chris Maser's case, a true measure of the man. Read this book. It's for everyone who has ever had a friend or planted a garden."—Virginia White, Writer and Teacher (former Biologist), Institute for Extended Learning, Community Colleges of Spokane, Washington.

  For more information online, see:  Of Ditches And Ponds

• Teaching Kids to Change The World: Lessons to Inspire Social Responsibility for Grades 6 - 12. 2008. Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN. 102 pp. (Junior author with Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner, in press).
  

  Through a series of modules, this resource offers educators and youth-group leaders a means of inspiring social consciousness and action among youth and teaches young people how to think, rather than what to think. Without money, power, or the right to vote, how do children and teenagers find a voice in society? How can educators and leaders talk meaningfully with students about such broad concepts? Avoiding partisan politics and moral debates, this resource equips educators with philosophical discussion questions, concrete illustrations, and active examples. Each component sets forth a theme or principle about change; a classroom experiment or activity that illustrates the theme; and an example of a social action or service project in which young people can participate to help create the change they wish to see, showing youth their role in the societal and environmental changes that occur across decades or even centuries.

  For more information online, see:  Teaching Kids to Change The World

  
  

• Of Paradoxes and Metaphors:  Understanding Some of Life's Lessons. 2007. Woven Strings Publishing, Amarillo, TX. 264 pp. E-Book 254KB

  "Mesmerizing. Reading Of Paradoxes and Metaphors is like sitting around a campfire, listening to the wisdom of the ages as shared through the stories of a dear, wise friend and mentor. Through reflections on his own life, Chris Maser provokes the reader's reflection on her or his life-stories and, ultimately, the mystery and wonder of being human. That process is both calming and challenging because it leads to the truth that, ultimately, we are each solely accountable for how we respond to and experience our time on this Earth. Fully understanding and embracing that responsibility forces us to give up the "comfort" of blame, self-pity, anger, and other aspects of being a victim. The joy is the rediscovery of the knowledge that lies within us … that life is unfolding in each moment, and we have the power to respond in the manner we choose."—Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner, Minneapolis, MN.

  For more information online, see:  Of Paradoxes and Metaphors
  

• Trees, Truffles, and Beasts:  How Forests Function. 2008. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ. 288 pp. (Senior author with Andrew W. Claridge and James M. Trappe.)

  "Accurate and authentic, Trees, Truffles, and Beasts:  How Forests Function makes a major contribution to the field of natural resource management. This is a clear and compelling argument that there's much more to forests than meets the eye."—Jim Furnish, Deputy Chief for National Forest System (ret.), USDA Forest Service.

  For more information online, see:  Trees, Truffles, and Beasts

• Sustainable Development:  Principles, Frameworks, And Case Studies. 2009. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ. (Editors:  Okechukwu Ukaga, Chris Maser, and Michael Reichenbach, in press.)