Customer Reviews

Trees of the Northern United States and Canada

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
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This book is a gem; within its area of coverage (Canada and northern US), it is far and away the best taxonomic reference for trees that I have ever seen. Illustrations, range maps, and text are all on the same page for any given tree. Illustrations include color plates and line drawings of bark, fruits, twigs, leaves, and overall tree form; allowing identification of trees at any time of the year. Text is lucid (not heavy on technical botanical language), authoritative, and only a little telegraphic in order to fit the whole thing in a reasonably-sized book (too large for a pocket field guide, but easy to handle). This is what I have always wanted to see in a botanical reference book.

If you want to know about trees in the northern US and Canada this is the one book to buy. It's certainly not a pocket field guide, but for learning trees in all seasons, reproductive parts, bark, leaves/needles it's great. Lots of good color photos. I use this one the most of all the tree ID books I own. Even more than Barnes & Wagner, because of the pictures.

I put Tree Finder or Winter Tree Finder in my pocket when I go for a walk, but this is the book I take out when I get home to learn more, or just for the pleasure of looking at the photos and illustrations. Very thorough--for instance, photos show examples of what the bark looks like on both young and mature trees for most species. It's really a Canadian book (published in Canada as Trees in Canada), but coverage is good for the northern tier states of U.S.

This book is among the leading candidates in the race for best tree identification book ever. It has a huge advantage in that it first appeared in 1917 (as Native Trees of Canada, already a good book) and has been continually revised and updated since. This book pretty much has it all: clear distribution maps, fine line-drawings of details and pretty decent color pictures of various other details (including bark).

Of course Canada has the 'advantage' of not having many tree species, which makes it easy for an author to be complete. Just imagine Harri Lorenzi trying to cover Brazil to the same degree of detail!

It is a pity the US has no other books on this same scale, and that this degree of detail is only available for its Northern part (OK, California has some fine tree books too!).

This is a great book to help with the identification of tree specimens that you find in our northern forests. Beautifully illustrated, with pictures of leaves (and fall color), flowers, fruits, and the bark of both mature and young trees, Farrar really provides horticultural enthusiasts with all the tools they need to make correct identifications (in most cases, of course). In addition to the pictures, other botanical information is provided such as max heights, growth rates, silhouettes, reproductive information, ranges, etc.

My only small complaint with the text is that the ranges for several species are incomplete, covering only the areas in Canada and the very northernmost United States. Many species have a much broader native habitat, and it's often necessary to reference a second text for that information. Other than that; however, it is a great text that even includes "quick recognition" tips for most species. Farrar gives us a valuable resource for horticulture lovers and woodsmen of the north.

There is no one book that will satisfy all your tree needs, but this one comes closest. Though it is Canada-centric, it should be useful no matter where in the US you may live. The pictures and line drawings are excellent, but most importantly they are consistent throughout. The "Quick Recognition" bits are a wonderful feature.
It is organized as an identification book but I use it more as an encyclopedia and wish it was organized alphabetically by genus. This is a book you read, then go for a walk, then read again. Highly recommended to everyone.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to identify trees - large or small, summer or winter. Indespensible for those who want to observe forest ecology in the field.

This book is just about as complete as everyone else that has reviewed says. I really only wanted North American trees and that is precicely what I got. A very fine book that is well organized with abundant photos, drawings and discriptions. I am just a novice so the more complete of a book the better. The only thing I wish is that I had an old beat up one to take into the woods.

This is an excellent book with clear photos of different parts of trees in its stated regional area.Maps are very good also and easy to see. I know what I am talking about since I have all the field guides available thru Peterson, Audubon,etc for North American coverage. Coverage of species native and introduced is thorough. This makes identifying them easier by narrowing your choices .Too big for field work,but good notes taken in the field with your significant other helping you with smaller regional guides and camera phones in tow will suffice when you get back to your home or motel.You can sip a glass of red wine together and share the day's fun in the Natural world!

Every attempt I've made to identify a tree with this book has been successful. Worth every penny.