The Last Stand: A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment

The most ancient and least disturbed forest ecosystem in eastern North America clings to the vertical cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. Prior to 1988 it had escaped detection even though the entire forest was in plain view and was being visited by thousands upon thousands of people every year. The reason no one had discovered the forest was that the trees were relatively small and lived on the vertical cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. The Last Stand reveals the complete account of the discovery of this ancient forest, of the miraculous properties of the trees forming this forest (eastern white cedar), and of what is was like for researchers to live, work and study within this forest. The unique story is told with text, with stunning colour photographs and through vivid first-hand accounts. This book will stand the test of time as a testament to science, imagination and discovery.

Peter E. Kelly completed his M.Sc. at the University of Western Ontario before joining the Cliff Ecology Research Group in the Department of Botany at the University of Guelph. He has devoted the last fifteen years to studying the ecology of the old-growth cedar forests of the Niagara Escarpment. He is co-author, with Douglas W. Larson of Cliff Ecology, published in 2000 by Cambridge University Press.

Douglas W. Larson completed his Ph.D. at McMaster University and is currently a Professor of Botany at the University of Guelph. He founded the Cliff Ecology Research Group at the University as a vehicle for the studying of structure and function of the Niagara Escarpment cliff ecosystem. He has also taught ecology for over 25 years. He is co-author, with Peter E. Kelly of Cliff Ecology, published in 2000 by Cambridge University Press.