[.ca] Trees of the Central Hardwood Forests of North America: ... (ISBN 0881924067)

This is not the book to get students interested in trees.:
This is primarily an ID guide to 188 native and naturalized trees, and another 84 that are commonly planted in what is termed the Central Hardwood Forests, defined as those portions of eastern North America dominated by deciduous trees. This is an octopus-like area that includes all or parts of 30 states and provinces to varying degrees. The only states wholly within the "shading" are IL,IN,RI, and KY; nearly so are CT, OH, TN, and MO. Small to large chunks of MN, WI, MI, PA, WV, IA,NE, KS, OK, TX, AK, AL, GA, NC, VA, MD, NJ, NY, MA, NH, Quebec and Ontario fall within the boundary; but ME and VT are inexplicably outside it, as are vast areas of deciduous forest in New York state. Few if any of the trees in this book are restricted to the Central Hardwood Forests -- most range widely beyond the boundary of this arbitrarily defined region, and many barely enter it at all. The reader would be better served if the book simply covered trees of the northeastern United States, without contriving an ecological framework for choosing species to write about. Most of the book consists of tree descriptions alphabetized from Abies to Zanthoxylum, with over 900 photos of varying quality, and maps for most species. Data headings are Habit, Bark, Twigs, Buds, Leaves, Fruit, Wood, Habitat and Range, Propagation, Wildlife Value, Landscape Value, and Best Recognizable Features. Discussions are very brief. A section of 116 color photos adds a welcome break to the cramped and confusing composition of the text. Summer and winter keys to genera are confusing due to the inclusion of numerals referring to previous couplets, and left unexplained; and because there is no identation, or spacing between couplets. The book is sturdily made and contains valid information, but is uninteresting in its style and mostly visually unappealing. It is not likely to inspire students.

If you love Hardwood Forests this book is for you.:
This book is the best i have ever laid hands on for describing the trees of the eastern forest. I have a B.S. in Forestry, Im a certified Arborist and am currently working on a M.S. in Forestry. I have seen lots of books on trees and this is the best. Period.

For the Serious horticulturist or the Home Gardener:
This scholarly manual explains the different forest communities found locally and describes the 188 native species that make up this diverse ecology, with the goal of encouraging the conservation of this ecosystem and the use of native trees in the landscape.