Trees (Collins New Naturalist Library)

What a superb book! In this meticulously researched and near-monumental work Peter Thomas sets out to answer just about every question an interested person might ask about trees: what they are, how they live and grow, and how they interact with each other and the world around them. And within the constraints of 450-odd pages of text he succeeds, admirably.Inevitably one sometimes wishes that he had been able to delve a little deeper but the extensive bibliography and his scrupulous referencing help the reader to pursue any subject that takes their interest.The fact that this has been published as part of the New Naturalist Library suggests that the publishers have aimed it at a lay audience, but anyone working with trees and woodlands would be well-advised to have a copy of this book. It will be an invaluable first reference. In that respect it is similar to a number of other works that were written primarily for amateur tree and woodland lovers, but which changed the course of professional thinking and practice. Examples that come to mind are Alan Mitchell’s A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe, Alex Shigo’s A New Tree Biology, George Peterken’s Woodland Conservation and Management and Oliver Rackham’s Ancient Woodland. History should elevate Peter Thomas to that pantheon.If I have one small concern it’s just about the title, which might lead potential readers to think that it’s just another of those books about trees. That would be a pity.

This is a beautiful book. Here you can learn about the evolution of trees, their biology, chemistry and physics. Also how trees fit into the ecology/ ecosystem. It’s very scientific and honest too, an example being where the author explains how planting trees doesn’t necessarily helps reverse human-caused global warming & climate change, -instead stopping deforestation is far more helpful and natural as trees plant themselves naturally when reseeding and thru pollination etc… I recently read some of Arnos’ books where he explains how forest fires are natural and how forests need fire to regenerate. Human fire suppression is very successful, but in putting out these forest fires, it causes the forests to continually grow and become too dense in an unnatural way. So when, one day, a fire occurs that isn’t suppressed, the fire burns the entire forest down and spreads uncontrollably. I’m new to learning about Trees but I’d recommend this book along with some of Stephen Arno’s books and also Diana Beresford-Kroeger too.

All New naturalist books are First Class.

Fascinating.But packed by a bibliophobe

As a birdwatcher I tend to pay too little attention to trees. I definitely need to rethink this as I am often thinking that a bird is hiding behind leaves that are preventing me from getting a better view. In fact many large trees have at least 200,000 leaves, and these create a canopy light-capturing area many square kilometres, in fact at least 350 square kilometres according to this book! Trees are hugely important to the planet and have been with us for around 350 million years. Amazingly, the oldest-known tree is a Bristlecone Pine in California which is almost 5000 years old. It is still in pretty good shape!The author, Dr Peter Thomas, is Emeritus Reader in Plant Ecology at Keele University in the UK. His experience in Europe and North America is extensive, and he did his PhD in Canada studying the regeneration of trees after forest fires. He has managed to weave together a lot of information in around 500 pages. In fact the book is slightly wider than most New Naturalists, and has a feel of quality about it – based on slightly thicker paper than some.After setting the tree scene, Dr Thomas looks at the value of trees and the way they help to shape to our lives in so many ways – wood to build with, paper to create books, and the way that trees maintain the air we breathe and some of the food we eat. He looks at the tree’s year from spring to autumn, and the seeds and fruits in addition to leaves. Winter is a chapter that stands apart from others, particularly as a riskier period for trees with the potential for storm damage. As I’ve shown, they can live a long time, and he gives interesting example of the extremes in both age, size and shape. Pests and pathogens get a chapter of their own, and is an important one given that too many trees are being affected by disease these days. The changing climate around the world has changed the landscape for trees many times, and now for ourselves we can see how some UK trees are just not going to do well in a warmer climate. Finally Dr Thomas looks at the future for our trees. He is optimistic so long as people plan carefully and consider the options. Right now we have more trees than at any time in the last 250 years, but many are not the right ones to support wildlife.

Again quick service well packaged well worth the money most questions are answered .It is a very big book but its the only one you will want its brilliant.