Product Description

This newly designed field guide features detailed descriptions of 387 species, arranged in six major groups by visual similarity. The 47 color plates and 5 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Color photographs and 295 color range maps accompany the species descriptions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26989 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
An authoritative book that includes every tree that grows wild in western North America, including Alaska. Using the unique system of identification employed in the author's other tree books, the 387 trees of the region are divided into six major groups according to conspicuous characteristics. Within those categories, trees that look alike are brought together and compared in text and illustration, regardless of whether they are related or not.

The color plates, beautifully painted by Olivia Petrides, the author's daughter and Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, emphasize details that may not be present or clearly visible in a photograph. Differences between trees that resemble each other are also listed in distinctive comparison charts. With range maps, keys, descriptions, and illustrations, the user can identify trees at any season, even when without leaves. Technical terminology is converted into plain English. The values of trees and their use by wildlife, Native Americans, and campers also are discussed. -- From the Author

About the Author
Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world"s greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars, and the Peterson Field Guides® are credited with helping to set the stage for the environmental movement.

George A. Petrides, a veteran field naturalist, is professor of fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He is the author of A Field Guide to Eastern Trees, A Field Guide To Trees and Shrubs, and the Peterson First Guide to Trees.

Olivia Petrides is an adjunct associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, reaching drawing and painting. She holds degrees from Kalamazoo College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
TWO-NEEDLE PINYON Pinus edulis Engelm. Pl. 1
A short, round-topped, arid-zone tree mainly of the s. Rockies.
Needles 2 per cluster, 3?4–2 in. long, dark green, sharp but
not
spiny. Cones short, 1–2 in. long, somewhat spherical, with thick,
blunt, thornless scales and 2 wingless half-inch nuts per scale.
Height 15–20 (50) ft.; diameter 1–2 (3) ft. Dry sites. Similar
species: See Lodgepole Pine. Remarks: Like the other nut pines (see
Singleleaf Pinyon), the fruits are eagerly sought by wildlife and
humans alike. Reported to be the most common tree in N.M. A single-
needle population is reported to occur in cen. Ariz. Resin from trunk
wounds is said to have been used by Native Americans to waterproof
woven bottles and to cement turquoise jewelry.

Customer Reviews

Explore a New World
I am a birder but always wanted to ID the trees that the birds were perched in. I first took this book out in the field to the Arboretums in San Francisco and Berkeley. I found the book easy to use for IDing native trees. I also took this book with me on a trip to the eastern Sierras and trees that I have previously looked at as "pines" turned into Lodgepole, Mountain Hemlock, Whitebark, Red and White Fir, and Jerrery Pine. It really opened up a new world for me. And naming nature is one way to understanding the wonderfully diverse tree species of the west.

Just exactly the right amout of information
We built a cabin in the mountains and I wanted to be able to distinguish cedars from spruce from pines from ???. We've learned so much from this book. It has exactly the right amount of information to educate without overwhelming. The book is now stuffed with leaves, needles and locations as we become educated about our environment.

good book
The book is great for people that like to look up trees and the book was in great shape