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History Post-confederation (1867-)

Killing Bugs for Business and Beauty

Canada's Aerial War against Forest Pests, 1913-1930

by (author) Mark Kuhlberg

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2022
Category
Post-Confederation (1867-), Entomology, Forests & Rainforests, Economic History, Environmental Conservation & Protection
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487526474
    Publish Date
    Apr 2022
    List Price
    $42.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487508975
    Publish Date
    Apr 2022
    List Price
    $95.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487539436
    Publish Date
    Mar 2022
    List Price
    $42.95

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Description

Killing Bugs for Business and Beauty examines the beginning of Canada’s aerial war against forest insects and how a tiny handful of officials came to lead the world with a made-in-Canada solution to the problem.

 

Shedding light on a largely forgotten chapter in Canadian environmental history, Mark Kuhlberg explores the theme of nature and its agency. The book highlights the shared impulses that often drove both the harvesters and the preservers of trees, and the acute dangers inherent in allowing emotional appeals instead of logic to drive environmental policy-making. It addresses both inter-governmental and intra-governmental relations, as well as pressure politics and lobbying. Including fascinating tales from Cape Breton Island, Muskoka, and Stanley Park, Killing Bugs for Business and Beauty clearly demonstrates how class, region, and commercial interest intersected to determine the location and timing of aerial bombings.

 

At the core of this book about killing bugs is a story, infused with innovation and heroism, of the various conflicts that complicate how we worship wilderness.

About the author

Mark Kuhlberg is a professor and MA Coordinator in the Department of History at Laurentian University and is a leading authority on Canada’s forest history.

Mark Kuhlberg's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, 2023 Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Book Award Awarded by The Forest Fistory Society

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