Features almost 300 colour photographs and brings together more than
60 years of research by a leading voice in British woodland ecology.
Trees define woodland. They provide a complex, multi-layered habitat for
a great range of wildlife, yet they are wildlife themselves, reacting to
their circumstances and each other. Woodlands are important to people,
supplying timber, food and fuel, accumulating carbon, and offering
places of refuge and refreshment. But they are also under threat: some
stand in the way of 'progress' and all are becoming increasingly
vulnerable to neglect, disease and climate change.
Trees and Woodlands brings together decades of research to explore the
ecology, nature conservation and wider cultural value of our native
trees and shrubs, and the various ways they have combined as woodland.
Incorporating personal experiences from 60 years as a forest ecologist,
Peterken describes the long history of use and management; how this has
influenced woodland wildlife and our art, beliefs and social attitudes.
He concludes that most woods should be managed, their timber and small
wood being put to good use, but recognises that this is all part of a
larger question: the future of ourselves.
Containing nearly 300 photographs, and interspersed with box texts
describing the history and ecology of representative woods across
Britain, this is a commentary on trees, woodlands and our relationship
with them from one of our most highly regarded forest ecologists.
