Customer Reviews

The Bristlecone Book: A Natural History of the World's Oldest Trees

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The peaks of the American West hold the Bristlecone Pine, some of the world's oldest trees, and THE BRISTLECONE BOOK celebrates their natural history using a most accessible format and presentation perfect for any natural history collection focusing on botany. Bright color photos liberally pepper an in-depth survey in THE BRISTLECONE BOOK: A NATURAL HISTORY OF TH WORLD'S OLDEST TREES, with chapters including tests of tree longevity and discussions of Bristlecone importance in human history. Any collection whether college-level or public lending library which is strong in botany or American natural history needs this.

Hiking in in California several years ago, I thought I saw a messy pile of driftwood on the ridge line. A few hundred steps further on, I realized the "pile" was alive. My guidebook said the "pile" was a Bristlecone Pine and that its rings had been used to validate carbon dating.

As a general reader, I've read bits and pieces about these wonderful trees, especially their importance in carbon dating and "the tree ring calibration curve". But I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't think much about the living trees themselves. How old can they really be? How do they escape their enemies? How do they deal with soil erosion in such windy and exposed exposed terrain? What characteristics are naturally selected to prolong life?

Professor Lanner has written the first natural history of the bristlecone and foxtail pines of the western United State. The essence of his book treats these trees as living organisms in their own right. They are not just a proxy for dendrochronolgy. He recognizes that their natural history has not yet been definitely written and promises to continue to add to that natural history on his personal website Ronald Lanner's Tree World .

A few quotes will give you a flavor of his writing:

"A very few Great Basin bristlecones have green seed cones that appear to be turning purple, and yellow pollen cones with reddish tips. And one 2,500 to 3,000 year-old Great Basin bristlecone in the Schulman Grove has been found to produce white pollen from its red pollen cones."

"A common suggestion is that the presence of living bark strips enables old bristlecones to persist by maintaining a balance of water-procuring roots and water-consuming foliage. In other words, sectored architecture slows death by allowing a tree to linger until the last vestige finally gives up the ghost."

"And what of those favored few trees that escape their adversaries and persist for millennia? What finally becomes of them? Can they live forever, and if not, what finally kills them?"

If any of this fascinates you as much as it does me, you'll enjoy this book and learn a great deal.

Robert C. Ross 2008

It is obvious that the author knows a great deal about the subject matter, but he demonstrates very poor organization and layout. The end result is a garbled mess of factual information and natural history with various tidbits haphazardly thrown in. Unfortunately, if you're looking to pinpoint specific information about Brislecones, it is a challenge to locate it amidst the cumbersome and, at times, plodding text. On a positive note, many full-scale photos were vivid, but I wish more up-close, detailed images were included as well. This book is best left as a library resource and not one to include in your personal library.