Trees are vital to the healthy functioning of the global ecosystem and unparalleled in the range of materials they provide for human use. This volume is a comprehensive introduction to the natural history of trees, with information on all aspects of tree biology and ecology in easy-to-read and concise language. Peter Thomas uncovers fascinating insights into these ubiquitous plants, addressing in an illuminating way questions such as how trees are designed, how they grow and reproduce, and why they eventually die. Written for a nontechnical audience, the book is nonetheless rigorous in its treatment and a valuable source of reference for beginning students as well as interested lay readers.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Affable study...packed with information and peppered with interesting facts...clean, upbeat prose." Publishers Weekly
"Thomas has the wonderful ability to mix in the odd but interesting fact to illustrate key ideas, all while maintaining a readable style...Trees is highly recommended, a fundamental book for all university libraries. Undergraduates through professionals." Choice
"...this book was a pleasure to read. I will order it for my forest ecology class." The Quarterly Review of Biology
"Written for non-specialists, this book provides a pleasantly readable introduction to what is known about trees. Well-written. A fine book for any library." Northeastern Naturalist
"[V]ery good, interesting and loaded with an impressive amount of information...pleasant to read and refreshing. The sense of humour of Dr. Thomas certainly has a lot to do with that. The book is without question a must for all undergraduate students interested in any aspect of tree biology and evolution." Ecoscience
"Thomas has the wonderful ability to mix in the odd but interesting fact to illustrate key ideas, all while maintaining a readable style...Trees is highly recommended, a fundamental book for all university libraries. Undergraduates through professionals." Choice
"...this book was a pleasure to read. I will order it for my forest ecology class." The Quarterly Review of Biology
"Written for non-specialists, this book provides a pleasantly readable introduction to what is known about trees. Well-written. A fine book for any library." Northeastern Naturalist
"[V]ery good, interesting and loaded with an impressive amount of information...pleasant to read and refreshing. The sense of humour of Dr. Thomas certainly has a lot to do with that. The book is without question a must for all undergraduate students interested in any aspect of tree biology and evolution." Ecoscience
Book Description
Trees are familiar components of many landscapes, yet how much do we really understand about how they work? This book provides the only modern introduction to the natural history of trees, presenting information on all aspects of tree biology and ecology in an easy to read and concise text. Written for a non-technical audience, the book is nonetheless rigorous in its treatment and will provide a valuable source of reference for beginning students as well as those with a less formal interest in this fascinating group of plants.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Root and branch!,
By
This review is from: Trees: Their Natural History (Paperback)
Trees: Their Natural History by Peter Thomas is a significant book for any student of trees or enthusiast for dendrology. The structure, function and life-cycle of trees is covered with warmth, perception and with authority. The writing is accessible although there are perhaps a few too many jokes. Despite this drawback the book is full of good reference material, thankfully lacking the homey philosophy and proselytizing of other writers in aboriculture.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learn 1,000 new things!!!,
By
This review is from: Trees: Their Natural History (Hardcover)
This is an amazing book!! Every page expands what you thought you knew. How do they get that water up 100+ feet? Why are trees deciduous? (Better questions are how many ways they are deciduous, and why, and what does deciduous really mean anyway?) This will make any hike you take more interesting, any tree rings you inspect simply fascinating.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intended as a college text but good for the general reader,
By
This review is from: Trees: Their Natural History (Paperback)
Peter Thomas wrote this book because he teaches about trees and he couldn't find a textbook that he liked. This book clearly fits that particular niche. It's intended as an introductory text for undergraduates, so it's also written at an appropriate level for the general reader.
You'd expect it to be boring, but it isn't. He presents the material in a lively and interesting fashion. Thomas starts with food production (leaves), water transportation (trunk and branches), and the scaffolding that holds a tree up. Along the way, you'll find answers to all those questions that three year olds might ask their parents - - how does the bark stretch when a tree adds a ring? How do apple blossoms turn into apples? Why do quaking aspen leaves quake? If those questions interest you, you'll enjoy the book. It's organized conceptually and analytically, not around those kinds of questions, but you'll learn the answers along the way. You'll also learn all sorts of other things. Because Thomas intended it for classroom use, by the later chapters he regularly cross-references concepts and processes that he introduced at the beginning of the book. I'd forgotten some of them, and that was frustrating. If I had been taking a class on trees, my teaching assistant or professor could have clarified, and Thomas clearly wrote the book on the assumption that readers would have such people available. In a revised edition, more gentle reminders for the general reader would be helpful. A glossary of terms wouldn't hurt either. All in all, though, it's a very good book - - I'd give it a 4.5 if I could. Enjoy.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Everyone knows what a tree is: a large woody thing that provides shade. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
apical regulation, pillar roots, epicormic buds, woody skeleton, root plate, sieve cells, temperate trees, xylem tubes, corky layer, mast years, framework roots, cork cambium, compression wood, animal pollination, bud scales, root grafts, frost cracks, false acacia, reaction wood, short shoots, most conifers, barrier zone, fine roots Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Their Natural History, New York, Academic Press, Hermaphrodite Drupe, New World, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Annals of Botany, Beech Fagus, Journal of Arboriculture, Tree Physiology, Arboricultural Journal, Ash Fraxinus, Botanical Review, British Isles, Publishers Ltd, The Pollination of Flowers, Wind Dioecious, Birches Betula, Fortingall Yew, Hornbeam Carpinus, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Ecology, South America, American Journal of Botany New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Everyone knows what a tree is: a large woody thing that provides shade. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
apical regulation, pillar roots, epicormic buds, woody skeleton, root plate, sieve cells, temperate trees, xylem tubes, corky layer, mast years, framework roots, cork cambium, compression wood, animal pollination, bud scales, root grafts, frost cracks, false acacia, reaction wood, short shoots, most conifers, barrier zone, fine roots Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Their Natural History, New York, Academic Press, Hermaphrodite Drupe, New World, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Annals of Botany, Beech Fagus, Journal of Arboriculture, Tree Physiology, Arboricultural Journal, Ash Fraxinus, Botanical Review, British Isles, Publishers Ltd, The Pollination of Flowers, Wind Dioecious, Birches Betula, Fortingall Yew, Hornbeam Carpinus, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Ecology, South America, American Journal of Botany New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 41
books:
See all 41 books this book cites
66
books
cite this book:
See all 66 books citing this book
- Tropical Trees as Living Systems by P. B. Tomlinson on page 33, page 105, and Back Matter
- Trees: Structure and Function by Martin H. Zimmermann on page 170, page 209, and Back Matter
- Plant Biology (with InfoTrac) (Available Titles Cengagenow Available Titles Cengagenow) by Thomas L. Rost on page 30, and page 58
- The Diversity of Green Plants (Series of Student Texts in Contemporary Biology) by Peter Robert Bell on page 25, and page 26
- Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus by David M. Richardson on page 141, and Back Matter
See all 41 books this book cites
- Bach in Berlin: Nation and Culture in Mendelssohns Revival of the St. Matthew Passion by Celia Applegate on 4 pages
- The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach: Music to Delight the Spirit Volume 1: 1695-1717 by Richard Jones on 4 pages
- Bach and the Meanings of Counterpoint (New Perspectives in Music History and Criticism) by David Yearsley on page 131, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Bach (Life & Times) by Martin Geck on page 6, and Back Matter
- The Organ As a Mirror of Its Time: North European Reflections, 1610-2000 Text & CD by Kerala J. Snyder on page 175, and Back Matter
See all 66 books citing this book
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