Customer Reviews

Tree Anatomy

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This is an atlas of color photographs of various parts of trees, at low power magnification (always with reflected light). Mostly from the inside of the tree, but also quite a few pictures from the outside. The picture quality mostly is very good, especially when classic topics are photographed.

Dr Shigo also markets two slide packages ("Tree anatomy, above ground", "Tree anatomy, below ground") with many of the same pictures. In conjunction with "A new tree biology" these are intended to help raise awareness of how trees live and grow.

On the minus side: the accompanying text is not always a 100% correct and the selection of pictures is perhaps not an optimal balance, both in what parts of the tree are illustrated as in what species of trees are selected. Also it is a fairly expensive book (less than a 100 pictures). Nevertheless a very impressive atlas.

This is a large-format book (a bit larger than 9"x12") that is filled with nearly 100 microscopic-level photos (many printed in nearly 8"x10" format) of various parts of deciduous, coniferous, and tropical trees. Shigo's ego is legendary (he was with the US Forest Service and 'discovered' the importance of protecting the branch collar in trimming), and it shows through in the sometimes-pompous, but limited prose. However, the photos are almost worth the cost of the book and make a good, more precise companion to Shigo's "Tree Pruning". Available through American Nurseryman magazine, the price may reflect the copyright date of 1994 and that self-published, four-color photographs were probably not computerized for printing. Good paper stock and durable binding. If you are looking for comprehensive tree information, I'd recommend "Pirone's Tree Maintenance" as an alternative.