TORONTO - Books about tree planting, chimpanzees rescued from a research lab, and the early fatal expeditions to scale Mount Everest have made the short list for the $25,000 Charles Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction.

Charlotte Gill is up for "Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe" while Andrew Westoll is a contender for "The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery."

Wade Davis, meanwhile, is in the running for "Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest."

Rounding out the list is J.J. Lee for "The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit" and Madeline Sonik for "Afflictions and Departures: Essays."

It was no easy task choosing just a few final contenders from a crop of 115 titles, said Susan Renouf, one of three prize judges.

"You get this sea of books and you realize the incredible diversity of subject matter and writing style and publishing that is happening in Canada, that's happening in a very difficult climate," Renouf said.

"You think somehow there's going to be some magic bullet that makes it all become apparent, but with the quality of material that's published in Canada, it is really difficult to narrow it down, it was really hard to get it down to the long list and it was a really difficult conversation to get it down to the short list."

This year marked the first time the prize released a long list of 11 semi-finalists, a decision that was applauded by journalist and author Stevie Cameron, another judge.

"I've been on a number of long lists and short lists and I have to tell you to be on a long list or any list is manna from heaven for a writer," she said.

"And the recognition doesn't just benefit the writers, you know. It benefits their editors, who never get any recognition, their publicists, their agents, all the fact checkers, and in my case the libel lawyers. Even my serial killer had to be lawyered," she quipped, in reference to her book "On The Farm" about Robert Pickton.

The Charles Taylor winner will be crowned March 5.

Runners-up receive $2,000 and additional promotional support.