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TreeBoss Book
Review
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 TreeBoss
was asked to do an advanced review of the Arbor Day Foundation’s new
guide on tree identification.
This tall and narrow
(8.5” x 4”) colorful pocket-sized guide will be officially released
on April 1, 2009.
But this guide is no April Fool’s joke! It
has a sturdy water-resistant cover and is built for use in the
woods.
Perfectly illustrated by Karina Helm, the new guide uses a
basic, easy to learn ‘Yes or No’ flow chart to take you through a
simple tree identification process.
The first illustrated question helps determine if you are
identifying a tree in the eastern or western part of North America.
From there, you start through the flow chart selection process…
conifer, evergreen or broadleaf tree?
Each answer leads you to a new question and illustration. |
What Tree Is That?
A guide to the
more common trees found in North America
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How to
use the new guide |
Let’s try to identify a White Pine while
we are hiking in New York…
For the
first question 5A, we select the blue area on the map
(Eastern North America)
which takes us to 6A - “Does the tree bear cones
and have leaves that are needle-like?” (We
notice cones in the tree and it has long soft needles)
Our YES answer takes us to 7D – “Are the trees
EVERGREEN with the needles arranged in clusters of 2 -
5?” (It’s wintertime and the foliage is still
green, so it is an evergreen)
Our YES answer takes us to 8A – “Are the needles
clustered in groups of 5 and the cones long with thin
scales?” (We notice the needles are bundled in
groups of 5 and the cones are long with thin scales)
Our YES answer takes us to 9A – “Eastern White
Pine, Pinus strobus, Zones 3 – 8, The fabled tree
eagerly sought by the first wave of loggers in America.
The provincial tree of Ontario.” This text is
accompanied by a nice illustration showing evergreen
needles on a branch tip with a suspended cone.
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Eastern White Pine identification
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Summary |
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Even if you don’t wish to identify a
particular tree, you can leaf through (no pun intended)
the guide and familiarize yourself with more than 250
trees, their leaf patterns and characteristics, all in a
quick fashion.
In addition to this book’s value as a personal
reference, it may actually be most valuable as the
centerpiece of a family’s hiking or camping adventure.
For example, a father and son may go on a tree
identification hike together, sharing the guide as they
explore the wide world of trees around them. In addition
to the knowledge gained by each, the quality time spent
together lends itself to a great bonding experience. One
they may want to share again on future hikes through the
woods.
The $14.95 cover price is money well spent, especially
considering that it helps support the work of the Arbor
Day Foundation – "a nonprofit conservation
organization of nearly one million members, with a
mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and
celebrate trees."
TreeBoss
Contact
TreeBoss to request a review
of your tree related publication.
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