Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56526 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-26
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

The publisher, Prentice-Hall Career & Technology
This revision examines the future of arboriculture in light of new information and maintenance practices. Readers will gain an understanding of plants and plant processes while improving their ability to analyze problems and practices. The text effectively integrates the management of the environment with the maintenance of landscape plans.

From the Back Cover

A comprehensive guide to the care of trees, this book covers all aspects of arboriculture from the fundamentals of tree growth and development to developing plant health care programs. It discusses aspects of site selection and modification including climate, and soil and water management. The book follows the tree from selection in the nursery to planting and aftercare through such routine practices as pruning, fertilization, support systems, and plant health care. Key management situations such as tree preservation, hazard assessment, and problem diagnosis are discussed in detail.

The fourth edition offers several new features that the student of arboriculture and practicing arborists will find valuable:

• Reorganization of topics to improve continuity of information
• Addition of overviews and summaries for each chapter
• Updated assessment of tree care practices such as soil amendments, mycorrhizae, and tree growth regulators
• Thorough evaluation of the benefits from trees (economic, environmental, ecological, and psychological) including examples of the most recent research on cost-benefit analysis of trees in urban areas
• Emphasis on special management situations such as structural soils, root-pavement conflicts, and remnant forests

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Twenty years have past since the publication of the first edition. During that time arboriculture has experienced significant changes. Research findings; the application, training, and certification of arborists; innovations by practitioners; new and improved equipment and products; a worldwide community of professionals; and a better informed and more concerned public bode well for the future of arboriculture. Instant access to information across the Internet allows for exchange of ideas and experiences among arborists in every part of the globe.

The fourth edition of Arboriculture provides approaches to analyzing problems and situations and selecting the most appropriate solutions or courses of action. This is particularly important because local or regional factors require specific solutions. As in previous editions, new information and maintenance practices are evaluated and, where appropriate, current practices reassessed. The analytical approach is emphasized, assessing management needs and deciding on an appropriate solution.

The common and botanical names used generally conform to those listed in Hortus Third (Bailey and others, 1976) and the Annotated Checklist of Woody Ornamental Plants of California, Oregon, and Washington (McClintock and Leiser, 1979).

Measurements are given in metric units, followed by English equivalents in parentheses. In many situations, approximate values are accurate enough, so conversions between the two systems are rounded for simplicity.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive
Very complete and up to date information on Arboriculture. Chapters are well organized, highlighting what you need to know. Does a great job of covering the basics, but also gets into details and is fairly technical, without becoming unreadable. A must have reference book for the Landscaper.

Overflowing with information
Arboriculture is a science and art that is made up of many different contributing factors. This book does a very good job of covering them all. Any one of the chapters could be expanded into a book in itself. This thoroughly researched and written book is for the person who wants all of their information in one place. It is a textbook for the technically minded arborist, tree surgeon, tree farmer, or hobbyist. Don't look for this book to be entertaining or philosophical. Instead, buy this book for the knowledge held within. There is a lot to be learned from it. Every single page is filled with facts, figures, methods, and recommendations. You will find yourself reading every page a second or third time in order to catch it all. I refer back to this book on a regular basis, because there is no way I can remember it all. If you have any questions about the management of trees or shrubs, you will likely find it in this book.

The Book
Harris wrote the first edition of this book when trees were "trimmed" by the same people who patched asphalt and repaired park benches. It was a breath of rationality in a field that relied mostly on anecdotal information.

The new edition reinforces this work as the compendium of current thinking about how to care for trees. Clark and Matheny build eloquently on Harris's solid foundation.

The public participates actively in caring for trees and demands to know information found in this book. Why not plant the biggest caliper tree you can find? Can't you do something about the tree roots "breaking" up my sewer? Open the book and show them the brief but definitive answer that is easily found here.

I wish more citizen tree advocates would read this book. For that matter, I wish more arborists would too.