Knowing the Trees Discover the Forest from Seed to Snag

About this book

An engaging, fact-filled, and beautifully illustrated guide to a forest's life cycle. In Knowing the Trees, naturalist and outdoor educator Ken Keffer explores North America's forests with both precision and charm. He offers essential context for understanding scientific knowledge and discoveries about trees and forest ecology, informed by rich anecdotes and specific examples from across the USA.

Modeled after the life cycle of a tree, this beautifully illustrated guide showcases a wide range of topics, including unique reproductive strategies, the wonders of seed dispersal, vast underground networks of roots, the importance of photosynthesis, treetop canopies, how snags and nurse logs contribute to the future of a forest, connections among other species throughout the habitat, and so much more. Keffer also makes the convincing case that our health depends on the health of trees and being able to see the forest and the trees.

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Biography

Naturalist and award-winning environmental educator Ken Keffer is the author of nine books, including Earth Almanac: Nature's Calendar for Year-Round Discovery. Keffer is a frequent contributor to Birds & Blooms magazine and The Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where he and his wife run a Wild Birds Unlimited store.

Emily Walker is an artist and scientist. Her main mediums are pen and watercolour or a combination of both, and she often uses her photographs and in-the-field sketches as her references.