"Ever since Gilgamesh cut down the ancient cedar forests of Mesopotamia, civilizations have foundered and collapsed in the wake of widespread deforestation. Today, with three quarters of the world's original forests gone and the pace of cutting, clearing, processing, and pulping ever accelerating, Jensen and Draffan lay bare the stark scenario we face - we being not only people, but the nonhuman fabric of life itself - unless deforestation is slowed and stopped. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the relationship between deforestation and our ecological crisis as well as an essential "handbook" for activists everywhere. "--Jacket.