Subject
Trees -- Great Britain Books
Best books
Edward Step
Wayside and woodland trees : $b a pocket guide to the British sylva
"Wayside and Woodland Trees: A Pocket Guide to the British Sylva" by Edward Step is a scientific guide written in the late 19th century. The book serves as an informative resource aimed at helping nature enthusiasts and rural ramblers identify native British trees and larger shrubs. It not only covers indigenous species but also includes information on exotic trees that have become established in British landscapes. At the start of the volume, the author lays out his intentions, explaining that the guide is not just another treatise on forestry but a practical tool for plant identification. The introduction emphasizes the aesthetic and environmental value of trees, contrasting natural growth with commercial forestry practices. Step invokes historical perspectives and ecological insights, noting the vital role trees play in their ecosystems while guiding rambles through Britain's woodlands, setting the stage for a detailed exploration of various tree species to follow.
Angus D. Webster
Webster's practical forestry : $b A popular handbook on the rearing and growth of trees for profit or ornament
"Webster''s practical forestry : A popular handbook on the rearing and growth of…." by A. D. Webster is a practical forestry handbook written in the early 20th century. It focuses on profitable and ornamental tree growing in Britain, blending policy advocacy with step-by-step guidance for establishing nurseries, plantations, and timber production. The work emphasizes species choice, site preparation, and cultivation methods aimed at both commercial returns and landscape value. The opening of the handbook frames forestry as a wartime and postwar necessity, arguing that foreign timber shortages demand large-scale, state-led afforestation of waste lands, with compact blocks to ensure continuous supply and to justify transport, and proposing this work as employment for returning and convalescent service members. It outlines costs, suitable regions, and the economic case for government ownership and planning. The text then turns practical, explaining how to collect, dry, store, and sow seeds (especially conifer cones), offering seed counts and species-by-species timing; how to propagate by seed, cuttings, layers, grafts, and buds; and how to plan and run a home nursery with seasonal tasks. Next it details forming plantations: setting boundaries, laying out roads and fences, draining and levelling, clearing vegetation, pitting vs. notch planting, timing by site conditions, and avoiding too-deep planting. Finally, it begins its list of the best economic trees, describing growth conditions, timber qualities, and uses for oak, ash, beech, sycamore, Spanish chestnut, elm, alder, birch, and the cricket-bat willow.
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