Amazon.com

For the untrained observer, it can be quite a challenge to sort out the many trees that make up a stand of older forest in, say, New England or the Ozarks. This well-illustrated guidebook, covering 364 species, comes to the rescue with photographs organized in several ways: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, by the flower or cone, and by autumn coloration. Following one visible characteristic or another, the reader can narrow the range of possibilities, then turn to an informative text that describes a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range.Many of the species covered are relatively rare, such as the "stinking cedar" of the Georgia-Florida border; others are locally abundant, such as the paper birch of the boreal forest, used to make ice-cream sticks; still others, such as the smooth sumac, are widespread. The guidebook also covers ornamentals introduced from other continents, such as the Chinese privet and Mahaleb cherry. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Trees are for life!
Trees are for life not just firewood or park benches, and been able to identify and expand your knowledge helps in this appreciation. The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees is a well laid out book with good reference material and identification method. I bought this book whilst living in LA and it has travelled with me to all corners and bogs. It is a source which is very much appreciated.

A good secondary reference
This book relies heavily on color photos of bark, leaves, flowers, and fruiting bodies. This method makes winter identification diificult, and even when in leaf subtleties which differentiate species may not be evident. I use the Peterson guide to trees and shrubs (ISBN 039535370X) as my primary resource, and use the Audubon book as a secondary source.

Recommended
This is a beautifully bound, easy to use book that gives all kinds of info on many different trees. The size is perfect for tucking away in your pocket when you're not using it.

beautiful book, but very small
this was a beautiful book, but very small in size, be sure to check the size of the book to make sure thats the size you want.

Great reference!
We just purhased some new land with an abundance of trees. While I don't consider myself to be a tree expert, there where quite a few that stumped my husband and I. This is where this great little book came in handy. It lets you identify trees based on either flower, leaf, bark, etc and has them sorted into appropriate sections with colored photos. Needless to say, we have used this book time and time again. It is a nice size too so that you can take it with you. ... Read more

Book Description

A tale of obsession so fierce that a man kills the thing he loves most: the only giant golden spruce on earth.

As vividly as Jon Krakauer put readers on Everest, John Vaillant takes us into the heart of North America's last great forest, where trees grow to eighteen feet in diameter, sunlight never touches the ground, and the chainsaws are always at work.

When a shattered kayak and camping gear are found on an uninhabited island, they reignite a mystery surrounding a shocking act of protest. Five months earlier, logger-turned-activist Grant Hadwin had plunged naked into a river in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands, towing a chainsaw. When his night's work was done, a unique Sitka spruce, 165 feet tall and covered with luminous golden needles, teetered on its stump. Two days later it fell.

The tree, a fascinating puzzle to scientists, was sacred to the Haida, a fierce seafaring tribe based in the Queen Charlottes. Vaillant recounts the bloody history of the Haida and the early fur trade, and provides harrowing details of the logging industry, whose omnivorous violence would claim both Hadwin and the golden spruce. 16 pages of illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

John Vaillant, The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madn
On January 20, 1997, Grant Hadwin cut down a conifer (see pp. 127 ff.). Unfortunately, this was not just any tree, but a near unique golden Sitka spruce in British Colombia's Queen Charlotte Islands, some 165 feet tall and over three hundred years old. The tree was sacred to the Haida tribe, who believed that it was a transformed youth(see pp. 155-57). Hadwin, who subsequently perished while crossing Hecate Strait- or disappeared before his court date, depending upon which story you choose to believe (see pp. 159-81)- was ironically an environmentalist who wished to draw attention to the destruction of the region's forests.
My pet peeve first. Where is a picture of the tree? It is inconceivable that no view of the book's subject, either before or after its felling, is available, and yet (with the doubtful exception of the picture on the cover) none of the sixteen pictures in the book deals with the object which "stands" at its epicenter. In a way, this absence is a fitting symbol for the larger work. There is no question that Mr. Vaillant can write; he brings logging alive in a way that lesser craftsmen could not. We find out why the Queen Charlotte Islands are termed the "Canadian Galapagos" (at p. 28) at the same time that British Colombia is referred to as the "Brazil of the North" (at p. 100). We are introduced to a specialized argot, with terms such as "nurse logs" (at p. 8), "spruce flats" (at p. 16), "logger's smallpox" (at p. 76), "highballing" (at p. 77), "widowmakers" (at p. 129), and "pig's ears" (at p. 132). Vaillant, not content with this "forest" of information, discusses ecological problems, Haida culture, and intercultural relations. The void left by the fall of the Golden Spruce, however, is paralleled by a lack of in-depth information about Grant Hadwin. While Vaillant appears to have made, well, valliant efforts to interview those connected with the incident and indeed acknowledges "those members of the Hadwin familywho shared their memories and insights with me" (at p. [xi]), no specific citations appear to be listed in the Endnotes (see pp. [243]-50). This lack of information prevents us from more fully understanding Hadwin and his motive, and that in turn leaves only a gap in space where the real object once existed.
The Golden Spruce should be read both for the information it imparts and for the quality of Vaillant's prose. Ultimately, however, it does not break the log-jam of facts and speculations surrounding this hopefully unique (but see pp. 140-41, 213) occurrence.

Samuel Pyeatt Menefee

COMPELLING AND VISIONARY
John Vaillant conjures the mystery of the Pacific Northwest coast where hundred-foot waves wash fish into the limbs of trees and diving birds fly underwater, a land where the Haida people collaborate in their own near destruction through exploitation of the otter trade, a place where an indestructible and brilliant logger becomes a zealous, misguided environmentalist.The rainforest is a place of myth and transformation.If you dare to enter, you will be changed.And if you enter the world of this magical book, where trees grow 300 feet tall and live 500 years, you will be transfigured by what you know.John Vaillant has exposed a compelling story, a murder mystery where the victim is a rare spruce with brilliant golden needles.Without sentimentality, with complete reverence for the tree as a tree, Vaillant illuminates the terrible loss, and the deeper loss it represents: the desecration of old growth forests.Mr. Vaillant has done his research and rendered his tale with suspense and energy, with great beauty, in a language that approaches poetry. ... Read more

Book Description

This text is intended for introductory courses in forest measurements. Emphasis is on the measurement of timber, with detailed coverage on measuring products cut from tree boles, measuring attributes of standing trees, inventorying volumes of forest stands, and predicting growth of individual trees and stands of trees. Background information on statistial methods, sampling designs, land measurements, and use of aerial photographs is also provided. An introduction to assessing range, wildlife, water, and recreation resources associated with forested lands comprises the last chapter. The measurement principles and techniques discussed apply to any inventory that includes assessment of the tree overstory, regardless of whether the inventory is conducted for timber, range, wildlife, watershed, recreation, or other management objectives. ... Read more

Book Description

Trees are vital to the healthy functioning of the global ecosystem and unparalleled in the range of materials they provide for human use. This volume is a comprehensive introduction to the natural history of trees, with information on all aspects of tree biology and ecology in easy-to-read and concise language.Peter Thomas uncovers fascinating insights into these ubiquitous plants, addressing in an illuminating way questions such as how trees are designed, how they grow and reproduce, and why they eventually die. Written for a nontechnical audience, the book is nonetheless rigorous in its treatment and a valuable source of reference for beginning students as well as interested lay readers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Learn 1,000 new things!!!
This is an amazing book!! Every page expands what you thought you knew. How do they get that water up 100+ feet? Why are trees deciduous? (Better questions are how many ways they are deciduous, and why, and what does deciduous really mean anyway?) This will make any hike you take more interesting, any tree rings you inspect simply fascinating.

Root and branch!
Trees: Their Natural History by Peter Thomas is a significant book for any student of trees or enthusiast for dendrology. The structure, function and life-cycle of trees is covered with warmth, perception and with authority. The writing is accessible although there are perhaps a few too many jokes. Despite this drawback the book is full of good reference material, thankfully lacking the homey philosophy and proselytizing of other writers in aboriculture. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Alternative View of Forests Based on Hard Science
Ever sense that television news is more about cosmetics, sound bites, and talk-show celebrity journalism than it is about digging for hard facts and verifying authentic sources? Misinformation about forests and forestry appears to be like that - superficial and unsubstantiated. The problem with lazy thinking like "where there's smoke, there's fire" is that any actual firefighter can tell you it is smoke that kills, almost never fire. Yet society sits in judgement amid great black clouds of speculation while never asking the experts about the true operating principles.

What is amazing is that Patrick Moore's highly educated and scientific position on forest management should be so widely assailed in the court of common knowledge and public opinion. There is very little examination of fact. Widespread untruths circulate freely, and every opposing viewpoint is demonized. Further reason to carefully consider Patrick Moore's contrarian view and verifyable science -- and note his incredible courage to put his personal reputation on the line, given the fact that his name is in the pantheon of great environmentalists of the 20th Century.

Eye-opening is an understatement. The facts presented in this book alone should warrant a careful reexamination of public opinion, government policy, and precipitate an audit of facts presented by various sides of environmental issues. Most people want to do the right thing to insure a vigorously healthy environment. What we don't need is to give over leadership of human destiny to extremist viewpoints which are founded on a belief that humans are a cancer on the face of the Earth, that technology and science are evil, and that the only solution is rolling back the clock 500 years to a pre-Columbian Garden of Eden.

Green Spirit has the courage to look at the environmental movement in a constructive way and say, "The Emperor Has No Clothes." On the issue of forests, it is as if some crazy Theodore Kaczynski is head environmental activist, public opinion trendsetter, and public policy oracle. Who can deny that the show is being run based on some kind of anti-human, anti-technology Unibomber manifesto? ... Read more

Book Description

Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya in 1940. In 1960, she won a Kennedy scholarship to study in America and earned a master’s degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh and became the first woman in East Africa to earn a Ph.D.

Returning to Kenya in 1966, Wangari Maathai was shocked at the degradation of the forests and the farmland caused by deforestation. Heavy rains had washed away much of the topsoil, silt was clogging the rivers, and fertilizers were depriving the soil of nutrients. Wangari decided to solve the problem by planting trees.

Under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya, of which she was chairwoman from 1981 to 1987, she introduced the idea of planting trees through citizen foresters in 1976, and called this new organization the Green Belt Movement (GBM). She continued to develop GBM into broad-based, grassroots organization whose focus was women’s groups planting of trees in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. Through the Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai has assisted women in planting more than 20 million trees on their farms and on schools and church compounds in Kenya and all over East Africa.

In Africa, as in many parts of the world, women are responsible for meals and collecting firewood. Increasing deforestation has not only meant increasing desertification, but it has also meant that women have had to travel further and further afield in order to collect the firewood. This in turn has led to women spending less time around the home, tending to crops, and looking after their children. By staying closer to home, earning income from sustainably harvesting the fruit and timber from trees, women not only can be more productive, they can provide stability in the home. They can also create time for education opportunities—whether for themselves or their children.

This virtuous circle of empowerment through conservation is serving as a model throughout the world, where women both individually and collectively are entrusted with money and material to invest it in ways that make a difference to their daily lives. Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement is a great example of how one person can turn around the lives of thousands, if not millions of others, by empowering others to change their situation.

Wangari’s road to success was by no means easy. During the 1970s and 1980s, she came under increasing scrutiny from the government of Daniel arap Moi. She was frequently the target of vilification from the government, as well as subject to outright attacks and imprisonment. She refused to compromise her belief that the people were best trusted to look after their natural resources, as opposed to the corrupt cronies of the government, who were given whole swathes of public land, which they then despoiled.

In January 2003, Wangari Maathai was elected by an overwhelming margin to Parliament, where she is the Assistant Secretary for Environnment, Wildlife, and Natural Resources in the democratically elected Kibaki government. Even though she is now being protected by the very same soldiers who once arrested her, her voice on behalf of the environment is still strong and determined.

In The Green Belt Movement, founder Wangari Maathai tells its story: why it started, how it operates, and where it is going. She includes the philosophy behind it, its challenges and objectives, and the specific steps involved in starting a similar grassroots environmental and social justice organization. The Green Belt Movement is the inspiring story of people working at the grassroots level to improve their environment and their country. Their story offers ideas about a new and hopeful future for Africa and the rest of the world. ... Read more

Book Description

All the wild trees, shrubs, and woody vines in the area north to Newfoundland, south to North Carolina and Tennessee, and west to the Dakotas and Kansas are described in detail. Accounts of 646 species include shape and arrangement of leaves, height, color, bark texture, flowering season, and fruit. Clear, accurate drawings illustrate leaves, flowers, buds, tree silhouettes, and other characteristics. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

the one
No mere Peterson field guide, this scholarly work is a concise encyclopedia of all the trees native to the northeastern United States, with descriptions that can truly be used to tell them apart (a unique feat). Belongs in the backpack of any hiker who wants to learn trees. Fits in a half-gallon Ziploc. Remember you need a magnifying glass and a sharp knife to use the book properly.

Best for field work
As a wetland delineator in PA, this book proves invaluable for field identification of trees, shrubs, and vines. Especially useful is are the keys for identification of these plants in winter when leaves and fruiting bodies are non-existant. I have several other tree books for reference, but they rarely are worth carting along in the field now that I have this book. I highly recommend it.

Worthy of the Name
Follows the fine tradition of Peterson Field Guides. Enough said.

Definitive work for identification
Petrides' work is the most accurate I have found in tree identification. Color pictures are no substitute for a close-up examination of the stems, leaves and fruit of trees and shrubs. It is considered the definitive source for the John Burroughs Naturalist Award bestowed by the Buckeye Council of the Boy Scouts of America only upon those capable of sight identification of approximately 600 trees, shrubs and wildflowers. ... Read more

Book Description

Through the use of over 800 color photographs and concise botanical descriptions, this comprehensive manual identifies over 239 forest tree species common to the southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Detailed photographs of leaf, twig, bark, flower, and fruit characteristics are presented next to species descriptions for easy reference.Each species description includes: common names; a “Quick Guide” stressing key features; concise descriptions of leaves, twigs, bark, flower, fruit, and form; habitat and ecology; a map of the geographical range; the species' uses; and the derivation of the botanical name.For foresters, county extension agents, environmental scientists, ecologists, and botanists. ... Read more

Amazon.com

More than 300 species of trees are found in the United States and Canada west of the Rocky Mountains, some introduced from other continents but many native to the region. This handsome guidebook covers them all, with photographs that enable identification by easily discernible characteristics: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, or by the flower or cone. The photographs are linked to texts that describe a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range. Some of the trees covered in this volume are exceedingly rare, such as the Monterey pine; others are locally abundant but limited in range, such as the Joshua tree; still others, such as the quaking aspen, are widespread. This guidebook is an essential addition to any western outdoor enthusiast's collection. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Quite reliable for outdoor travellers.
The Audubon Guide to Western Trees will prove a long lasting reference for outdoor lovers and tree finders. This easily equals the excellent Eastern Region guide in quality, detail, number of species listed, and beautiful photographs. However, if you want a heavy duty instant identification tool, hold off on this and purchase the Peterson Guides to Trees. However, if you love to marvel at trees and identify them in any amount of time at all, buy this along with the Eastern Guide. The quality binding of this newly updated edition is nice quality, and easy to carry. The earlier, out of print, hardback Economy Press edition was bulky, but contained more species listings. Still that difference is hardly noticeable, and buy this edition at good costs. This guide, (compared to the Petersons) will please a patient outdoor searcher attempting to identify any tree they find. Though the Peterson Guide to Trees should be bought prior to this, it is still an excellent and reliable addition to your collection.

Nice guide for at home or the field.
This book offers excellent photographs and very extensive information on trees. I use it often and have had great success identifying trees that otherwise I wouldn't know what they were. nicely organized and easy to use. The compact size is awesome for travelling and taking it hiking. Another great Audobon guide.

A comprehensive field guide to the trees of the W. U.S.
This field guide is an excellent field to the trees typically found west of the continental divide of the United States and as far east as the Mississippi River. This guide includes photos and descriptions of the native trees of western North America, as well as common naturalized trees and a number of introduced species. Several rare subtropical species of the Mexican border region have been omitted. The front 1/2 of the book includes 537 photos of leaves and bark, flowers, and cones and fruit. The second 1/2 contains detailed descriptions of the 314 species presented in the front portion of the book. A detailed index including both common and scientific names is found in the rear of the book ... Read more

Book Description

Useful throughout the Southeast north of Florida—90% of the native trees from Delaware to east Texas are included—this field guide identifies 205 species and varieties, with complete plant descriptions that highlight differences between similar taxa. It also includes range maps and botanical keys for summer and winter. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very useful book...
for the novice or experienced gardener. Good pictures help to identify trees native to the Southeast U.S. Excellent descriptions of trees with useful information for cultivation.

I'm glad to see this book finally available in paperback.

Georgia's Best Dendrology Book
This book by Brown & Kirkman is the best resource I have seen for those interested in tree identification anywhere in the Southeast. It includes excellent descriptions of over 200 native trees, as well as hundreds of color photographs. There are also charts for identifying every family, genus, and species in the summer and winter. Also included is a list of many non-native species which could be confused with our native trees. Because most other books about dendrology in the Southeast are so outdated, this is definitely the best resource available for any botanist, forester, or anyone else who would like a greater appreciation of our most fascinating natural resource.

An invaluable resource for field botanists
Brown & Kirkman have synthesized a wonderful, comprehensive guide to Georgia trees. Many species distributions overlap with other states, however, so this guide is useful for most of the Southeast. In addition to species descriptions, they include valuable habitat and economic information. Perhaps the most unique feature is the "Recognition difficulties with other taxa" section that is included with every species description. Now even beginning botanists can distinguish Post Oak from Sand Post Oak with ease. ... Read more

Book Description

This book has been more than 12 years in the making, beginning with two years of research and planning followed by 10 years of on-site, meticulous painting of individual living trees as well as their detailed parts by painter David More. More is a supremely gifted botanical artist who managed in 10 years of his life to paint each of the more than 2000 individual color illustrations beautifully presented in this handsome new book.

The main section is devoted to 377 double-page spreads, which describe and illustrate more than 1000 species and varieties of trees. The trees illustrated were selected because they are commonly cultivated in England and continental Europe; most are also to be found in American gardens, and some are indeed native to North America. A small percentage of the trees documented will not be hardy enough for the most severe climates; hardiness information is provided. Each deciduous tree is illustrated with both a summer painting in full leaf and a winter silhouette. Both deciduous and evergreen trees are illustrated as well with close-up artwork detailing leaves or needles, bark, blossoms, fruit, nuts, or cones.

This book is a must-have for any reader with an interest in trees, whether he or she wishes to grow them, identify them, or simply take pleasure in the minutely detailed and beautifully drawn artwork of David More. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Wonderful book
I bought this for the library but now I want my own copy. It answers questions which field guides don't address. I was not bothered by the euro orientation -- in fact it had much more information about the Scarlet Oak than the recently lauded Dirr's.
Tree lovers: Get this book. It is cool.

If you love trees, you should own this book
I value this almost as much as I do Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. What I like best about this book are (a) the wide variety of trees that it features and (b) the excellent illustrations, which provide far more detail on tree profiles, leaves, cones and other seedpods than other comparable books. So far, I have found illustrations for every tree that I have considered planting, including many uncommon ones. This book can really help you visualize what a particular tree will look like when you are designing your landscape.

Blissful Hours with This Book
If you love trees you need to own this book. What an achievement for an artist not even 50 years old yet; 800 pages of astonishingly detailed paintings of hundreds of trees. The lifelike realism of form is matched in the coloring of all aspects of tree morphology and development, including bark, seeds, cones, berries, twigs, leaves and silhouettes. The first time I opened the book I thought the pictures were photographs. The more I examine the paintings the more agog I am that they came from a person's vision and hand - and the more I prefer them to photographs. People who love trees will understand what I mean when I say the paintings, with absolute realism,convey the spirit of trees in a way that photographs can't.
A book to covet until you own it. It's brilliant and extraordinary.

A color-packed volume organized by type of tree
This comprehensive arboreal reference deserves a spot on any serious gardening library shelf. Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Trees has been 12 years in the making and is packed from cover to cover with detailed paintings of living trees which supplements the in-depth research conducted by botanist More and writer John White. The result is a color-packed volume organized by type of tree and including such details as geographic distribution, importance to American industry, and natural history. Some of this information is scattered in other volumes on trees; the depth of detail and intricate drawing of the trees featured in this superbly organized and presented encyclopedia set it apart from all others and make it a highly recommended, 'must' library reference. ... Read more

Book Description

This field guide features detailed descriptions of 455 species of trees native to eastern North America, including the Midwest and the South. The 48 color plates, 11 black-and-white plates, and 26 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Color photographs and 266 color range maps accompany the species descriptions. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great book
This has been wonderful us as a homeschooling family. It has been an excellent resource to identifying trees in our area. I recommend it to anyone teaching their children at home about trees.

A good guide to a difficult subject
Peterson's has about the best pocket-sized tree guide out there (I much prefer it to the Audubon guide, which I also own), but I won't kid with you - identifying trees is hard. It takes time, patience, and a keen eye. Just looking at leaves is usually not enough to make a positive identification. Depending on the species and the time of year, you may also have to examine bark, the twigs, flowers, buds, or fruits. The best part of the Peterson guide is that it has summer and winter keys in the back - don't ignore them just because the keys have no pictures! They are invaluable. Without them, you might find yourself lost among the many pages of illustrations. Perhaps the best resource to supplement this guide would be contact with an expert on the flora of your area - perhaps a naturalist at a local park or a forestry professor at a nearby university.

So-so book. Spend your money elsewhere
I know quite a bit about trees [boy scout, landscaping, etc], and I found this book to be very confusing in its layout. Not all of the trees described have all identification visually depicted -- leaf, bark, twig, seed -- and what pictures it has are separated from the text description by hundreds of pages. "Okay, this is an oak leaf, and they're described here... hmm, the pictures are back there ... hold on, let me use the leaf as a bookmark ..." Not handy at all.

The text itself is very detailed, but the "how to use this book" chapter doesn't show pictures to describe what is meant by the specific terms it uses. So even though I know quite a bit about trees, I found myself having to go back to botany books to look up 'bundled leaf scar' [and other terms] so I could try to determine from text only the difference between one specific tree from a similar one, only one of which is poisonous to my horses.

As a result, I am confused, and we have to wait until the tree completely leafs out in a month or two before we can make the determination whether to cut it down or not.

Additionally, only a fraction of the trees it contains has habitat or range maps, so I can't even tell whether I need to be concerned about a specific tree being native in my area. And in one case, the Osage Orange which grows like weeds here and has for at least a hundred years, shows a range limited to TX and S.W. AR ... 300 miles away. I've seen better tree-ident books in the book stores when I needed to look up one specific item. I wish I could remember the names of them.

On the plus side, the text descriptions are very detailed, and contain lots of interesting tidbits that you wouldn't find elsewhere. I'd suggest that you use other books unless you're actually a forest ranger or a PhD in trees.

Good reference material
This book was very informative for both my schooling and my job. It has helped me with both my classes and my job. All of the Peterson Field Guides are helpful and informative. They are relatively easy to use for people that have some knowledge of the species. Overall good books.

Not the flashiest, but the clearest
I use other field guides for browsing, but this is the guide I use when I go out into the field and I really want to identify things. It uses a very clear key to subdivide trees into specific groups (like needleleaf/broadleaf or opposit-leaved/alternate-leaved), narrowing down the choices and making identification much easier. The drawings are very clear, and as a bonus, you get a tiny map for each species identifying its exact geographical range. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Lavishly illustrated in full color, Trees of North America is a highly informative guide to the native and introduced species found on our continent. In handsome color spreads, each tree is pictured as it would appear in a typical landscape, with each of its features -- such as seasonal changes, leaf shape, flowers, seeds, bark -- illustrated in fine detail and clearly labeled. Written by world renowned dendrologist Alan Mitchell and illustrated by noted tree artist David More, Trees of North America will delight the naturalist and the gardener as both an authoritative reference work and a tribute to the rich variety of trees on our continent. ... Read more

Book Description

Guide to identifying native (and some widely introduced) trees of U.S. and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. Organized as a dichotomous key, the book leads the user through a series of simple questions about the shape or appearance of different parts of a tree. Includes 161 species. Illustrated with line drawings. The small (6" by 4") format fits in pocket or pack to take along on a hike. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Identifying trees by leaves
This is about the best I've seen. It is compact for carrying with you and easy to use. It is a logical key that you can follow from the tree down to its identification by its leaves. It covers the eastern US so there is not a lot of extraneous material to wade through. I have been looking for exactly this kind of book since I started being interested in trees.I recommend it very highly especially to the beginner.

Easy to use
This is the easiest tree finder book out there. Not only are the pictures very clear, but the questions that allow you to narrow down the tree type are very clear. This book is also small, so it's easy to bring with you when hiking so you can just whip it out when you see an interesting tree. This is the book that led to my profound curiosity and love of trees. Too bad I lent my copy to someone who took it back with her to Korea!

Great book for child learning to identify by leaves
My 7 yr old loves to look through this book while we go on nature hikes...yes in NJ! As a prior reviewer stated there are no illustrations of the whole tree - just the leaves. For my child's age and curiosity it works very well.

Only leaf illustrations in this one
Neat book if you need to know what the leaves of a particular tree look like, but that's it. There's no photos, only illustrations, and no illustrations of the shape of the tree or its height, just the leaves themselves. It's a cute illustration job, but unless you need to know about the leaves, I would pass this one by, and even if you think you've narrowed down which tree it is by the leaves, how can be sure that it's the same tree if there are no illustrations of the trees themselves? Probably a good book to sell in a gift shop to give a curious kid.

The title says it all
I took a class about tree identification several years ago at Morton's Arboretum near Chicago and this book was used as part of the class. I really love this little book. I have several of the fancier (and more expensive) books with color plates and photos, but for identifying trees this one is the best. Based on the tree's leaves it very clearly walks you through the identifation process step by step.

If you want to read more about the tree once you have identified it, the other guides are great. But for purposes of tree identification, this is the best I have seen. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

A Terrific Book!
I am a garden writer, horticulturist and botanist and I think Golden Books' Trees of North America is a darn good book. It is small enough to shove in a pocket and take along on hikes...it is easy to use, full of good information, and makes tree ID easy in most cases.
I recommend this book as a present for anyone interested in trees, in Nature, in gardening. Although it is a Golden Book and is easy to use and understand, it is by no means a book just for kids. This is an excellent book, as was the older Golden Books Trees of North America, a book I have taken along with me on many a trip. Worth every penny of the price and then some!

First-rate guide
The best book I found for understanding the classification of trees, and for clarifying the differences between the major tree families...

color illustrations make the difference
As a college graduate in Botany, I have seen many field guides. I probably own of 30 in different categories, and this one is one of my favorites. It was the only one I carried on a trip to California to identify trees in the Bay area. The color illustrations make a huge difference as they are very accurate and easy to use a field guides. It does require you to have a little more than a basic knowledge of trees, as it does not start out with a dicotomous key. ... Read more

Book Description

A new method for the practical identification and recognition of trees -- and an important supplement to existing botanical methods.

The book is in two parts: Pictorial Keys and Master Pages. The Keys are designed for easy visual comparison of details which look alike, narrowing the identification of a tree to one of a small group -- the family or genus.

Then, in the Master Pages, the species of the tree is determined, with similar details placed together to highlight differences within the family group, thus eliminating all other possibilities. The details of the Oak trees on this plate are an example of the system.

All of the more than 1500 photographs were made specifically for use in this book and were taken either in the field or of carefully collected specimens. Where possible, details such as leaves, fruit, etc., appear in actual size, or in the same scale.

Reviews (12)

Tree Identification Book
As a land surveyor, back in the early '80s, I used a copy of this book for the year-round tree identification needs associated with my work (all seasons - with or without leaves). At some point my copy of the book disappeared, but job advancement placed me in the office, so I did without.

Recently, a return to performing occasional, outside survey work revived my need to identify trees. After scanning all the books available for this purpose off-the-shelf in a large book store, I lamented the loss of this book, for I found none as useful to me as this book. I assumed it was no longer in print. But, to my delight, I surfed the web and discovered it is still in print and readily available. While its photos are B&W, and not of the highest quality (little if any apparent change in the book in two decades), the book remains a standard, in my opinion, as a tool aptly suited to its name.

Not first choice
Taking this book in hand I am inclined to see the negative first. The black and white photographs look rather depressing, in particular those of the bark don't look very useful. This is not a book which looks good on the bookshelf! Also its size and soft cover make it somewhat unhandy for carrying it about: it is far from field guide size.

As a tree book I very much prefer John Laird Farrar's "Trees in Canada" / "Trees of the Northern United States and Canada" which is a handy size, is handsomely bound, has excellent color photographs of trunks, flowers and fruits and stunning line drawings of habit, leafs, leaf scars and flower details, not to mention distribution maps.

Of course the two books have only a limited overlap in area treated and in species selection and the book by Symonds certainly has the subjects for the photographs carefully chosen. Perhaps I will yet come to apppreciate it?

It Really Works
I bought a house without knowing what the 5 trees in front of it were. Using this book I guessed Apple and Cherry. The next year my spouse was surprised to find out I was right! The book gave me enough information to figure it out! And I knew nothing about trees!

easy to use!
I use this book a lot. I find the black and white pictures are easy to use and the size of the book is just right. I wasn't looking for a pocket guide - (have some of those) I was looking for a guide that would really help me id the trees and this one does. I go for walks in our woods and carry this with me to id various things I see. Its great to have on hand

Student Tree ID
The Ag Department at the high school that I work used this book. It's a good source for tree ID, but it could have stood to be a little bigger with more trees. But, the trees that it ID's, are thoughly ID'ed. I would have also liked to see it in color. I really liked the scale used for sizing the leaves, blooms and fruit. Very much worth the money spent. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

ignorant and angry but useful
Chase's angry critique of "environmentalists" and their myths of nature has its points, but he ignores most of the substantial efforts to manage our ecosystem holistically -- e.g. including land, people, and money. He criticizes "biocentrism" but many of us recognize that human life, for example, is totally dependent on other organisms, E. coli to start. The question is not hierarchy, but interdependence.

Hundreds of pages on what's wrong in my edition, and only two pages that mention possible pathways to the future in the form of the Quincy Library Group and Applegate Partnership.

eye-opening clear analysis that changed my views
Until reading "In a Dark Wood" I espoused "politically correct" environmentalist views -- such as "all old growth forests must be saved at any cost from evil logging" -- in a knee-jerk, emotionally charged, self-righteous way, without ever taking the trouble to study or think through what was really at stake, and what premises about reality underlay my views.Alston Chase's thinking on conservation is so clearly presented, so well backed by evidence, so carefully analysed, and so full of good will and integrity, that I find it impossible to read his book without respecting his intentions -- and his conclusions, which challenge everything I had unthinkingly assumed in the past.This is the kind of book that not only addresses concrete problems, such as the political struggle between, say Earth First and Maxxam Corporation, but also inspires the reader to think more deeply, and question his/her assumptions.This is the kind of book I think most self-labeled "environmentalists" -- especially those who come from white, middle class, college-educated backgrounds -- will dismiss prior to investigation, and will never read.If so, it is a sad loss.It's a book that can change your views and help you learn to think better -- and I believe most people would rather not do so, since thinking better might well spoil the dramatic excitement of waging a war of good against evil, nature against humanity.Still, I hope people will read this book.It's one that changed my life. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

I love this little book
I love this little book. I've carried it on many hikes, dog walks, and through several years of walking to graduate school. It's easy to use, detailed enough to be helpful, and small enough (my aged copy, at any rate) to fit in your back pocket. Of all of the field guides that I own, I've used this one the most.

Great for beginners who want to learn the basic trees.
This book is great for people who want to learn the basics of different trees, their leaves, their twigs and bark of the trees around their area. If you don't know if the tree grows in your area, you can look at the maps in the book to see if it does. If you like trees and want to learn about them, you'll love this book. I loved this book because it built my foundation for knowledge in trees and their different families. ... Read more