Preface

General interest in trees and forests has recently been stimulated by a new realization of their importance in erosinion control, as cover for wild life, to the camper and hiker, and as a continuing source of raw materials. Many people for the first time have found that trees, their recognition, and life histories, may prove to be a fascinating life-long hobby. Few of them, however, are prepared or inclined to pursue a course in botany in order to learn the names and distinctive features of their common trees.

Introduction

What Is a Tree?—There are surely many answers. To the technically minded forster, it may be thought of as a factory for producing the most good timber in the least possible time at the least expense, a concept of the greatest importance to a wood-using nation like ours. But what are streets, parks, and playgrounds without trees or the home backyard without at least one tree to mark perhaps the change of seasons with its swelling spring buds, early summer flowers, and brilliant autumn leaves?