The Greening of Georgia: the Improvement of the Environment in the Twentieth Century.

The Greening of Georgia: The Improvement of the Environment in the Twentieth Century. By R. Harold Brown. (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2002. Pp. [vi], 362. $39.95, ISBN 0-86554-789-0.)

The news media are often accused of giving us nothing but "bad news." Yet professor emeritus of crop and soil sciences R. Harold Brown sets out to give us some "good news" regarding the environment in the state of Georgia. In a brief introductory chapter, Brown contends it is important to call attention to environmental improvements of the later twentieth century so that people will continue to support environmental protection. In chapter 2 (entitled "Changes in Land Use"), he acknowledges that Native Americans undoubtedly altered the Georgia landscape through their use of fire, but he suggests that significant deforestation took place in the 1700s and 1800s when European colonists, their slaves, and descendants of all these people converted much of Georgia into corn and cotton farms. Brown competently describes the tremendous soil erosion and reduction of certain species of wildlife this deforestation caused, and he recounts the negative impacts of cities like Savannah, Columbus, and especially Atlanta on air and water quality. Yet he insists that in spite of some lingering environmental problems, Georgia's environment is much better off today than fifty years ago.

The bulk of the book consists of four chapters entitled "Restoring the Land," "Cleaning of the Water," "Clearing the Air," and "Restocking the Wildlife," followed by a brief summary chapter. Brown's relatively simple purpose is fulfilled: he cites many published studies that show substantial reforestation since 1950 (and this is credited for dramatically reducing soil erosion). Deer and wild turkeys are far more plentiful than they were earlier this past century, and tighter controls on airborne emissions, along with modern water treatment plants, have substantially improved air and water quality in much of Georgia. Yet professional historians and other scholars will undoubtedly be disappointed with the book.

Brown appears to be communicating with a popular audience. He uses relatively unsophisticated techniques to develop his argument; he quotes several newspaper articles that appear to overstate the seriousness of Georgia's environmental problems and counters by discussing many scientific studies that confirm his point--Georgia's environment has improved dramatically since 1950. Of course, he could have added that much the same could be said for the entire United States. Meanwhile, since Georgia is his focus, he makes little attempt to address pressing global environmental issues. He discusses acid rain and global warming but concludes that these problems do not (yet) have much of an impact on Georgia. Furthermore, Brown does not couch any of his findings in the environmental history literature--but again, this is not his purpose. Finally, Brown devotes so much attention to the positive impacts of reforestation (in reducing soil erosion) that he all but ignores the lack of biodiversity in modern pine tree plantations; and he remains unconcerned about the possibility that gigantic livestock operations in North Georgia could eventually cause serious water quality problems. In short, Brown has given Georgians reason to cheer, but the scholarly community will have to look elsewhere for more penetrating analysis of Georgia's environmental history.

University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

CHRISTOPHER F. MEINDL