Ross E. Hutchins (1912–1983)

Ross E. Hutchins’ THIS IS A TREE is a beginner’s look at trees in 10 short chapters. There are great black and white pictures on almost every page and an index in back. My guess is that the book is targeted for an age group of between 12-16 years old. I found this book at a San Jose State book warehouse sale some years ago.

Hutchins explains in simple terms how trees get their nourishment, the identification of leaves, how trees propagate, their multiple uses, and how tree rings determine age. There is also a chapter on some of the famous trees in existence today.

The only complaint I have is that the chapters end rather abruptly. I’m a tree-hugger, so I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There is a picture of a banyon tree in Florida, with a diameter of 135 feet, that is just awesome. I was especially pleased to see the Save-The-Redwoods League (a favorite of mine) credited for three of the pictures, in a book dated 1964!
~Stephanie… (meer)