By choosing to concentrate upon discovering what forest resources were available to the French navy during the ancien regime and what use it was able to make of them, Mr. Bamford has not only provided the first monograph on that subject in the English language, but has gone far toward explaining why France was the loser in the long duel with England for the control of commerce and the extension of empire. Two years of research in the Archives Nationales and in the Archives de la Marine in Paris, Toulon, and Rochefort enabled him to draw on contemporary sources of information of which little, if any, use has been made before, and a further year of research in the libraries of New York City, particularly in the rich Proudfit Naval Collection, also yielded new material. It is Mr. Bamford's achievement to have handled this vast store of primary sources with such skill and judgement that the reader, by turning over letters from disgruntled forest proprietors, reports from harassed maitres on the trickery and recalcitrance of the peasants, instructions from the top echelon of the navy to inspectors in the forests, and a variety bills, receipts, and memoranda, is given at first hand an appreciation of the difficulties faced by the navy in trying to obtain timber and masts of the choice quality required for building ships-of-the-line. The navy had to compete with the merchant marine and with industrial and private users of fuel for supplies that were continually being depleted by mismanagement and by the conversion of forests to arable land. Measures, superficially admirable, for conserving the forests are found on closer examination to be at once over-precise and not properly enforced. Transport, even in a country so abundantly supplied with navigable rivers as France, was expensive and difficult. Not only historians, but scholars in the field of forestry, economics, geography, agriculture, and transport will find this book illuminating.

From ash die-back to the Great Storm of 1987 to Dutch elm disease, our much-loved woodlands seem to be under constant threat from a procession of natural challenges. Just when we need trees most, to help combat global warming and to provide places of retreat for us and our wildlife, they seem at greatest peril. But these dangers force us to reconsider the narrative we construct about trees and the roles we press on them. In this now classic book, Richard Mabey looks at how, for more than a thousand years, we have appropriated and humanised trees, turning them into arboreal pets, status symbols, expressions of fashionable beauty - anything rather than allow them lives of their own. And in the poetic and provocative style he has made his signature, Mabey argues that respecting trees' independence and ancient powers of survival may be the wisest response to their current crises. Originally published with the title Beechcombings, this updated edition includes a new foreword and afterword by the author.

In this guide to over five dozen edible plant species, Peter J Scott provides a wealth of information about each of them. His easy-to-use guide includes the habitats in which each can be found, basic recipes, a glossary, and references so that you, too, can enjoy the bounty that exists outside our doors.

"Heritage Apples" travels far beyond the grocery store of today to savor the apples of the past. These are the apple varieties--the Gravensteins, the Kings, the red-fleshed Pink Pearl--that link us to history, but through food movements and taste preferences are remerging as the fruit of the future. Heritage apples evoke memories and passion for some; for others they offer delicious, unexplored flavors and a connection to local farmers.Discover the histories behind the apples, and learn some startling apple facts. Identify the taste, appearance, and uses of 40 different heritage varieties and gain useful growing and harvesting information. Meet apple growers, cider-makers, and people fighting to preserve heritage apples, and join a lifestyle that embraces local and slow food movements. Then try the recipes Create delicious apple-based dishes, such as Chickpea-Apple Curry, French Apple Clafouti, Tarte Tatin, Apple Brownies, Apple Pie, and more. Expand your knowledge of one of our most popular fruits and celebrate its history with "Heritage Apples."

"An arboreal odyssey" - NATURE "One of the most quietly beautiful books of the year" - DAILY MAIL Evening Standard Books of the Year 2018 The Times Gardening Books of the Year 2018 Discover the secretive world of trees in Jonathan Drori's number one bestseller... Bestselling author and environmentalist Jonathan Drori follows in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg as he tells the stories of 80 magnificent trees from all over the globe. In Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of human life, from the romantic to the regrettable. From the trees of Britain, to India's sacred banyan tree, they offer us sanctuary and inspiration - not to mention the raw materials for everything from aspirin to maple syrup. Stops on the trip include the lime trees of Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard, which intoxicate amorous Germans and hungry bees alike, the swankiest streets in nineteenth-century London, which were paved with Australian eucalyptus wood, and the redwood forests of California, where the secret to the trees' soaring heights can be found in the properties of the tiniest drops of water. Each of these strange and true tales - populated by self-mummifying monks, tree-climbing goats and ever-so-slightly radioactive nuts - is illustrated by Lucille Clerc, taking the reader on a journey that is as informative as it is beautiful. The book combines history, science and a wealth of quirky detail - there should be surprises for everyone. Perfect for fans of Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees, this new book will certainly whet the appetite of any tree lover to take an around-the-world trip, or simply visit your local botanic garden. The perfect travel guide for nature enthusiasts. Winner at the Woodland Books of the Year Awards 2018. "An irresistible mix of science, culture, botany, history and vicarious travel" - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

* SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2022 * 'The very treeline is on the move: a devastating image. This book is an evocative, wise and unflinching exploration of what it will mean for humanity.' Jay Griffiths The Arctic treeline is the frontline of climate change, where the trees have been creeping towards the pole for fifty years already. These vast swathes of forests, which encircle the north of the globe in an almost unbroken green ring, comprise the world's second largest biome. Scientists are only just beginning to understand the astonishing significance of these northern forests for all life on Earth. Six tree species - Scots pine, birch, larch, spruce, poplar and rowan - form the central protagonists of Ben Rawlence's story. In Scotland, northern Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland, he discovers what these trees and the people who live and work alongside them have to tell us about the past, present and future of our planet. At the treeline, Rawlence witnesses the accelerating impact of climate change and the devastating legacies of colonialism and capitalism. But he also finds reasons for hope. Humans are creatures of the forest; we have always evolved with trees. The Treeline asks us where our co-evolution might take us next. Deeply researched and beautifully written, The Treeline is a spellbinding blend of nature, travel and science writing, underpinned by an urgent environmental message.

'Trees are wildlife just as deer or primroses are wildlife. Each species has its own agenda and its own interactions with human activities ...' Written by one of Britain's best-known naturalists, Woodlands offers a fascinating new insight into the trees of the British landscape that have filled us with awe and inspiration throughout the centuries. Looking at such diverse evidence as the woods used in buildings and ships, and how woodland has been portrayed in pictures and photographs, Rackham traces British woodland through the ages, from the evolution of wildwood, through man's effect on the landscape, modern forestry and its legacy, and recent conservation efforts and their effects. In his lively and thoroughly engaging style, Rackham explores woodlands and their history, through names, surveys, mapping and legal documents, archaeology, photographs and works of art, thus offering an utterly compelling insight into British woodlands and how they have come to shape a national obsession.

Oaks are primarily temperate region trees and shrubs numbering approximately 600 species worldwide. Oaks have occupied the nonglaciated landscape of North America since the Cretaceous Period. Fifty oak species are represented in two-thirds of the eastern North American forest cover types and dominate 68 percent of hardwood forests (191 million acres). Oaks have figured prominently in folklore, construction, food sources, medications, and dyes. Great political events have occurred under "charter oaks," and Native Americans utilized acorns as food (particularly the sweeter white oaks) and the inner bark as medicine (Q. falcata, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. rubra, and others). This genus, which includes economically important hardwoods, is also critical for meeting watershed, recreation, and wildlife management goals. This field guide provides an illustrated reference for identification of eastern oaks and can be used in several ways. Oak identification can be accomplished by utilizing the leaf keys, cross referencing scientific or local common names in the index, verifying similarities between leaf specimens and the illustrated oak leaf reference charts, and comparing descriptions provided for each species. Distribution maps may also aid in the separation of similar appearing species. The distribution of each oak species can be further defined according to ecoregion. A map of the eastern North American ecoregion provinces is provided (p. 106) and ecoregion provinces associated with each oak species are also included in the summary tables (pp. 109-119). The same common names may be used for different species or many common names may be applied to a single species in more than one location. Therefore, the preferred name is shown in bold with other names cross referenced in the index. Leaf morphology may vary considerably depending upon a combination of hybridization, tree age, position in the crown, and available sunlight. Many oaks are noted for hybridizing with other species in the same subgenus. Such progeny differ from the typical form, are usually isolated individuals or have a limited distribution, and are not included here. Characteristics used in the field identification key are limited to mature leaves with full exposure to the sun. When using the key, it is recommended that species verification be made by reference to other tree characteristics listed in the text. This field guide includes all native oak species occurring east of the 100th meridian in North America north of Mexico. The nomenclature and treatment of species follows the protocol in the Flora of North America (Jensen 1997). Individual species descriptions are based on several sources (Miller and Lamb 1985, Jensen 1997). Distribution records were obtained from USDA Forest Service data, voucher plant specimens, published state floras, and other literature. Native species in arboreta and landscape plantings outside their natural distribution are excluded from the maps (e.g. Canadian occurrence of scarlet oak (Q. coccinea)). The natural distribution of each species is presented at the county level except for Canada and Mexico. There are several species whose range overlaps the 100th meridian or the Mexican border; these are documented on the distribution maps. Seven species of white oaks (Q. fusiformis, Q. laceyi, Q. mohriana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. pungens, Q. sinuata, and Q. vaseyana) with a Mexican distribution extending from Texas are also noted on distribution maps. The reader is referred to other publications (Muller 1942, Elias 1980, Zavala-Chavez 1989) for details on the oak flora of Mexico. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.

A new approach to foraging Roger Phillips is the legendary godfather of foraging. Drawing upon decades of experience, his knowledge of wild food is unrivalled and in this richly illustrated book he shares some of his most recently gathered wisdom, collected from around the world. Roger reveals the edible and therapeutic secrets of our fields, woodlands and flower beds, and suggests tips for sourcing delicious morsels growing throughout the countryside and in our gardens. He also describes the native habitat and history of many fascinating plants and fungi, both common and unusual: from the camas bulbs eaten by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, to the Italian and Spanish favourite, Caesar's amanita; from hostas, the familiar garden foliage consumed as a succulent vegetable in Japan, to the newly popular Australian citrus fruits. The Worldwide Forager is divided into four sections: mushrooms and fungi; flowers, leaves and herbs; fruit and nuts; and roots and tubers, and Roger uses each one to provide a wide range of ideas for making your meals more colourful, delicious and sustainable.

This is the first color-illustrated guide to polypores and similar fungi specific to the eastern and central regions of the United States and Canada. Welcoming and comprehensive, it accurately presents the currently available information about polypores, emphasizes identification based primarily on macroscopic field characters, and includes observational data drawn from the authors’ extensive experience. It includes new species and genera; addresses changing nomenclature; and provides details about polypores’ biology, morphology, composition, role as parasites, interactions with various arthropods, and purported medicinal applications. The book also highlights how changes in geology, soil structure, and plant species due to factors such as continental drift and climate change have affected the evolution of polypores. Featuring more than 240 species of polypores, extensive and easy-to-use dichotomous keys, and more than 300 color illustrations and multiple maps and line drawings, it is a must-have for amateur and professional mycologists, forest service personnel, mycophagists, and anyone interested in learning more about this remarkable group of fungi.

Instant Guides are packed with essential information and useful facts covering a wide variety of subjects from survival skills to stargazing. Portable, easy to use and durable they contain all the basics whether you're studying the subject or just interested. For practical topics such as Bicycle maintenance they offer expert advice, to-the-point instructions and tips from insiders. Booklets on more educational topics such as The Human Body provide colourful diagrams and straightforward information.

At the cabin, in the park or on a hike, keep this tabbed booklet close at hand. Based on Stan Tekiela's best-selling wildflower field guides and featuring only Midwest wildflowers of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, the booklet is organized by color for quick and easy identification. Narrow your choices by color, and view just a few wildflowers at a time. The pocket-sized format is much easier to use than laminated foldouts, and the tear-resistant pages help to make the book durable in the field. Wildflowers of the Midwest features: Pocket-sized format--easier than laminated foldouts Detailed photographs with key markings More than 140 species found in the Midwest Easy-to-use information for even casual observers Based on Stan Tekiela's popular field guides

"If you're looking for a dose of wonder in your reading life, I recommend this beautiful book about the magic of fig trees."-Book Riot Over millions of years, fig trees have shaped our world, influenced our evolution, nourished our bodies and fed our imaginations. And as author and ecologist Mike Shanahan proclaims, "The best could be yet to come." Gods, Wasps and Stranglers weaves together the mythology, history and ecology of one of the world's most fascinating-and diverse-groups of plants, from their starring role in every major religion to their potential to restore rainforests, halt the loss of rare and endangered species and even limit climate change. In this lively and joyous book, Shanahan recounts the epic journeys of tiny fig wasps, whose eighty-million-year-old relationship with fig trees has helped them sustain more species of birds and mammals than any other trees; the curious habits of fig-dependent rhinoceros hornbills; figs' connection to Krishna and Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad; and even their importance to Kenya's struggle for independence. Ultimately, Gods, Wasps and Stranglers is a story about humanity's relationship with nature, one that is as relevant to our future as it is to our past.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone

Here, published for the first time in the United States, is the last book by Roger Deakin, famed British nature writer and icon of the environmentalist movement. In Deakin's glorious meditation on wood, the "fifth element" -- as it exists in nature, in our culture, and in our souls -- the reader accompanies Deakin through the woods of Britain, Europe, Kazakhstan, and Australia in search of what lies behind man's profound and enduring connection with trees.

Deakin lives in forest shacks, goes "coppicing" in Suffolk, swims beneath the walnut trees of the Haut-Languedoc, and hunts bushplums with Aboriginal women in the outback. Along the way, he ferrets out the mysteries of woods, detailing the life stories of the timber beams composing his Elizabethan house and searching for the origin of the apple.

As the world's forests are whittled away, Deakin's sparkling prose evokes woodlands anarchic with life, rendering each tree as an individual, living being. At once a traveler's tale and a splendid work of natural history, "Wildwood" reveals, amid the world's marvelous diversity, that which is universal in human experience.

The story of a single tree, from the moment the seed is released from its cone until, more than five hundred years later, it lies on the forest floor as a nurse log, giving life to ferns, mosses, and hemlocks, even as its own life is ending.

In this unique biography, David Suzuki and Wayne Grady tell story that spans a millennium and includes a cast of millions but focuses on a single tree, a Douglas fir, Tree describes in poetic detail the organism’s modest origins that begin with a dramatic burst of millions of microscopic grains of pollen. The authors recount the amazing characteristics of the species, how they reproduce and how they receive from and offer nourishment to generations of other plants and animals. The tree’s pivotal role in making life possible for the creatures around it — including human beings — is lovingly explored. The richly detailed text and Robert Bateman’s original art pay tribute to this ubiquitous organism that is too often taken for granted.

Revised edition with a foreword by Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees.

Fruchtbarer Boden wird mit zunehmendem Bevolkerungsdruck und wachsendem Nahrungsmittelbedarf immer knapper. Ein verantwortungsvoller Umgang mit dieser essentiellen Ressource ist daher dringend notwendig. Mit der Ubersetzung der erfolgreichen Bodenkunde von Rowell liegt nun ein praktisches Lehr- und Methodenbuch vor, mit dem samtliche Bodeneigenschaften gemessen und bewertet werden konnen. Neben den bodenkundlichen Grundlagen werden die Prinzipien der Messverfahren und deren Durchfuhrung ausfuhrlich beschrieben. Auswertung und Interpretation der Messdaten wird durch Rechenbeispiele und Ubungsaufgaben erleichtert. Mit den zahlreichen praktischen "Ubungen im Feld" lassen sich die Labormethoden auch ohne aufwendige Mittel direkt in die Praxis ubertragen."

WILDFLOWERS AS THEY GROW
A delightful book of wildflower illustrations of plants of the Rocky Mountain chain. An Artist's work of 18 years duration worked in watercolor from the live plants.

With gorgeous full-color illustrations, ornate decorative elements, lettering in metallic ink, and engaging text, The Language of Flowers: A Fully Illustrated Compendium of Meaning, Literature, and Lore for the Modern Romantic is a treasure for flower lovers. A sumptuous, contemporary anthology of 50 of the world's most storied and popular flowers, each of its entries offers insight to the meaning associated with the flower, and is a fascinating mix of foklore, classic mythology, literature, botanical information and popular culture. Following an introduction that provides a short history of the language of flowers, a fad which reached its peak during the reign of Queen Victoria, each uniquely illustrated and designed entry is an enjoyable read full of history and little-known facts. Here is the story of Tulipmania; how the pansy got its "face," and why the most particular pollination process of a certain orchid has made the vanilla bean a very dear commodity. You'll also dicover how Christian Dior's passion for lily of the valley inspired his classic perfume Diorissimo and its extraordinary bottle; why Oscar Wilde had a penchant for wearing green carnations in his lapel; and how Greeks and Romans believed snapdragons could ward off witchcraft, so they planted them at entryways to their homes. With more than a dozen two-page paintings evoking the romance of noteworthy Victorian gardens and symbolic bouquets, a cross-referenced index of flowers and meanings, and suggestions for further reading, this book is a must for lovers of floriology and Victoriana.

"Edible Forest Gardens" is a groundbreaking two-volume work that spells out and explores the key concepts of forest ecology and applies them to the needs of natural gardeners in temperate climates. Volume I lays out the vision of the forest garden and explains the basic ecological principles that make it work. In Volume II, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier move on to practical considerations: concrete ways to design, establish, and maintain your own forest garden. Along the way they present case studies and examples, as well as tables, illustrations, and a uniquely valuable "plant matrix" that lists hundreds of the best edible and useful species.

Taken together, the two volumes of "Edible Forest Gardens" offer an advanced course in ecological gardening-one that will forever change the way you look at plants and your environment.What is an edible forest garden?An edible forest garden is a perennial polyculture of multipurpose plants. Most plants regrow every year without replanting: perennials. Many species grow together: a polyculture. Each plant contributes to the success of the whole by fulfilling many functions: multipurpose. In other words, a forest garden is an edible ecosystem, a consciously designed community of mutually beneficial plants and animals intended for human food production. Edible forest gardens provide more than just a variety of foods. The seven F's apply here: food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizer, and "farmaceuticals," as well as fun. A beautiful, lush environment can be a conscious focus of your garden design, or a side benefit you enjoy

More than a field guide, ""Mountain Wildflowers of the Southern Rockies"" offers cultural and botanical essays that present useful and fascinating facts about seventy-five species of wildflowers, including strategies for survival, plant evolution, origins of common and scientific plant names, family characteristics, and their roles in human history. The Laramie and Medicine Bow Mountains of southern Wyoming, the principal ranges in Colorado, and the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, and Sandia Mountains in New Mexico are home to over a thousand species of wildflowers. The striking samples included here were selected not only because they are characteristic of this region, but also because they have interesting stories to tell. Grouped by family and arranged in natural order, each featured profile is accompanied by a color photo and most include a drawing by wildflower artist Walter Graf.