The Easy Tree Guide

Trees stir the emotions, whether we want to embrace them, or chop them down. They are large, and can appear to live forever. They make landmarks and meeting places; they give character to our towns and they play a major role in defining our landscapes. They cause problems, such as shading houses and cutting out sunlight; they drop debris and harbour pests such as squirrels and pigeons. They are useful, not just for timber and firewood, but because they shade our houses, brighten our gardens with their flowers and fruits; and provide homes for many a creature, including squirrels and pigeons. Genesis chapter 2, verse 9, sums it up in simplistic, but timeless, Biblical style: trees are 'pleasing to the eye and good for food'. At times we may love them or hate them, but we can't ignore them.

Although there are many more trees in Europe than can be covered in the Easy Tree Guide's pages, it does feature all the most common trees in Western, Northern, Central and Southern Europe - and more. By bringing the right information to hand, the Easy Tree Guide makes trees readily identifiable, to be examined at leisure. As Keith Rushforth explains, by taking careful note of a tree's identification features, or 'characters', throughout the year, no tree is beyond identification - even accepting that trees are easier to identify at some times of year than others.

As the definitive guide to tree identification, the guide concentrates on several key points, including an array of large and clear photography, complimenting hundreds of pages of paintings and artwork. The guide is laid out in simple, plain English, avoiding jargon and technical terminology, while important variations are described in the captions to the artwork and to the photographs. Finally, the distribution and preferred habitat of each species are described in the main text under the artwork panel.

Complete with a glossary of terminology, and an index of common and Latin names, the Easy Tree Guide offers a fresh approach to recognising trees; it is a truly peerless guide to the trees of Europe.