Wild Trees of Idaho

Idaho is a tree state, where even along streams, in clefts in rocks, along irrigation ditches and in a variety of other special habitats they thrive. This 200 plus-page book is about wild trees' native, escaped and naturalized. Johnson, a University of Idaho forestry professor, begins by discussing their evolution in the state from the Triassic period to the late twentieth century, their presence as natives and new natives, and the different habitat zones (for example, sagebrush/grass or mountain shrub) they populate. The vast bulk of the book provides descriptions of each species that are divided into seven groups based on leaf characteristics. Most tree entries are illustrated with life-size reproductions of each species' actual leaves, with the names of leaf groups appearing at the top of each page for ease of use in the field. This book is a must-have, both as a field guide and digest on natural history of trees and the habitats of Idaho.