Trees & Forests, A Colour Guide: Biology, Pathology, Propagation, Silviculture, Surgery, Biomes, Ecology, and Conservation PDF

Preface

A grove of sequoias [Sequoiodendron giganteum] – occupy an area of perhaps less than a hundred acres – The perfect specimens not burned or broken are singularly regular and symmetrical – showing infinite variety in general unity and harmony; the noble shafts with rich purplish brown fluted bark, free of limbs for one hundred and fifty feet or so, ornamented here and there with leafy rosettes; main branches of the oldest trees very large, crooked and rugged, zigzagging stiffly outward seemingly lawless, yet unexpectedly stooping at the right distance from the trunk and dissolving in dense bossy masses of branchlets, thus making a regular though greatly varied outline, – a cylinder of leafy, outbulging spray masses, terminating in a noble dome, that may be recognised while yet far off upheaved against the sky – the king of all conifers, not only in size but in sublime majesty of behaviour and port.

A reverence and respect for trees, such as are exhibited in Muir's scientific but beautiful prose describing his experiences in the Californian Sierra Nevada is deeply embedded in the human psyche. A sacred oak (Quercus) was at the centre of the Greek oracle at Dodona founded in about 1800 BP; while Artemis, the goddess of woodlands, and Apollo (her twin brother) were said to be born under a date palm. For the Pehuenche Amerindians of Chile, the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is holy, Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment while sitting under the bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa), while ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is almost extinct in the wild of China but has survived as a sacred tree in temple gardens.

Sadly, for the last century or more, such respect for trees has generally been forsaken. Today, environmentally detrimental logging and forest clearances still continue, either illegally or by official connivance, driven by world population growth, industrialization, market globalization, and the pursuit of maximal (but patently unsustainable) commercial profits.

The principal aim of this present volume is to bring together and review a number of features of forests, trees, their development, natural environ - ments, and ecology, which are usually disparately considered. These topics are expertly treated by scientists from various countries and presented in a format in which, as an integral part of each chapter, numerous high-quality colour illustrations comple - ment the concise but clearly written text.

This Guide will be of importance and interest to anyone studying plant science, forestry, or ecology and of practical and theoretical use to conserva - tionists, foresters, tree propagators, and tree surgeons working in the field. The 16 contributing authors, based in Britain, the USA, Australia, and Italy, reflect a wealth of expertise, which will help ensure that this volume is of value and use for students and interested amateurs in countries throughout the world.