Vermont forester Ethan Tapper’s “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World” asks crucial questions in hopes of healing ecosystems.
“There is so much that is wrong and so much worth saving,” he writes in the introduction. “I hope this book will give others the courage to engage in the bittersweet work of tending this changing world, so that others will not have to walk this same path alone.”
Broadleaf Books released the book Sept. 10. Tapper described it as “a reimagining of what forests and other ecosystems are and what it means to care for them.”
Tapper grew up in Saxtons River, obtained a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Vermont and worked as the Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation from 2016 to 2024. He recently left the position to focus on being an author and take on some consulting work as a forester.
An earlier draft of book was deemed too didactic by a publisher. Tapper said he took the words to heart and turned to narrative in a rewrite.
“In that process, I discovered this tone of how to love a forest, which is just like super tender and really personal,” he said. “It’s not just a dry, scientific book. It’s not a cookbook about how we care for forests.”
For six years, Tapper worked on the project each morning for the first hour he was awake. He said he rarely skipped a day of writing.
At the beginning, he wasn’t even aspiring to write a book. He said he was “just recognizing” the need to talk about the subjects he raised in his writing.
About two years into the process, he found himself working on a book. Much of the material is based on his experience caring for his 175-acre land in Bolton, which he named Bear Island.
“There’s a lot of parallels between this process of writing this book and the work that I’ve done here at Bear Island,” he said. “I’m working on this land which is super degraded, and it’s sort of going to be the work of my life to help it heal.”
If Tapper approached the land from the bigger goal of healing it, he might never get started. Instead, like the book, he focused on one piece at a time. Little bits begin to add up to something significant for both projects, he said.
With Bear Island, Tapper said he realized that just leaving the forest “would not be a kindness.”
“It would be an act of negligence and actually, this forest needed radical action in order to be healthy,” he said, adding that tools are available to heal ecosystems.
Over the next two months, Tapper has 45 book launch events in the Northeast, including 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester. Later, he’ll be traveling to Canada and other parts of the U.S.
In addition to being a forester and author, Tapper said he’s “leaned into being a digital creator.” He’s found a large audience via YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
While working for the state, greater community outreach had been a big goal for Tapper. He said he held about 300 public events and penned a monthly column that appeared in local newspapers.
His daily writing habit continues and he expects to eventually have another book on forestry. He’s also pursuing a doctorate at UVM in hopes of being a college teacher.
