Silvics of North America (1990) Online

Silvics of North America is a handbook published by the US Forest Service which describes ~200 species of trees. It has detailed information on habitat (substrate and climate preferences), life history, associated forest cover, uses... just, a lot. It also has sources tracked down to the sentence, so you can trace the information back to the literature. While published in 1990 and perhaps be more than 30 years old, there is nonetheless a lot of useful information to be sought here.

The entire book can be found online and free to the public here: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/table_of_contents.htm

It is divided into two volumes, one on conifers and the other on hardwoods. While you are unlikely to find every species of tree on here, any that are covered will have a treasure-trove of information. You can also download PDFs of the volumes as well. Good for anyone ranging from the curious plant enthusiast to the experienced forester.

Sample entry from book on Quercus stellata

Posted on 22 January, 2024 22:04 by arnanthescout