Customer Reviews

Discovering Sierra Trees (Discovering Sierra Series)

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On a recent hike from Tuolumne Meadows to the Yosemite Valley Floor, my father and I walked through a wide variety of ecosystems: north and south facing slopes from 4,000 feet to 10,000 feet in elevation. Still a virtual fount of information, my father took great pride in pointing out all the trees we saw and remarking on the relative limits of their range. You can do the same thing with this delightful book by Stephen Arno, which despite being nearly 40 years old, has many fine descriptions. The prints by Jane Gyer add immensely to this book, which is not terribly expensive.

Arno mixes descriptions of the trees with discussions of their commercial uses, earlier uses by native Americans, and their role in the broader Sierra ecosystem. Writing at the time (1973) when the Park Service began to let lightning caused fires burn, this book is one of the first to explain to a popular audience the importance of fire to the life cycle of Sequoias and other pines. Only a small portion of the material is dated. Digger Pines, for example, are now called "Gray" Pines as the scientific community finally bowed to political correctness in the early 2000s. But this book is still of value and will add enjoyment to your next trip through the Sierras.

This is the most accessible guide to Sierra Forests I have seen. The text makes you want to get up and out to the woods, but the real prize is the very artistic illustrations. I return to them again and again. The only drawback is the author confines himself to the southern Sierra but most or all of these trees can be found throughout the Sierra. Also the book is not widely distributed, but that's where Amazon comes in!

I think the information in the book is very helpful with I.D.ing trees and the art work is by one of my favorite artist, Jane Gyer, I like the book..