"Essential to the fabric of life, trees and forests grace the continent, from sheltering oaks near the edge of the Atlantic to towering redwoods along the Pacific coast. Forests produce the oxygen we breathe. They cool the earth in summer, nurture wildlife of myriad forms, and help alleviate the effects of global warming. Not only useful and necessary but also strikingly beautiful, forests may be the most beloved part of the American landscape. In 'Trees & Forests of America', award-winning author and photographer Tim Palmer has captured 200 exquisite images of wild forests in all their vitality, complexity, and artistry. He shows New England with its brilliant maples in autumn, Appalachian mountains suffused with green, aspen groves enlivening the Rockies, cottonwoods shading streams in the desert, and rainforests that loom large with biological extravagance in the Northwest. Camera in hand, Palmer has found a spectacular array of natural wonders wherever native forests still grow. In his writing he describes the lives of trees, the ecological workings of forest, the importance that these places have for all of us, and the challenges facing woodlands and the people who care about them. Unaltered digitally or by other means, these pictures show forests as Tim Palmer found them -- at sunrise or sunset, in the depths of winter storms and in the balmy comfort of summer, on the beaches of Hawaii as well as the glaciated frontier of Alaska. Seeking out the quintessential forest in each region, and ever watchful for intimate details as well as the overarching view from treetop or mountaintop, Palmer shows America's trees and forests as never before portrayed in one volume of photography and text."--

In the bestselling tradition of Michael Pollan's "Second Nature," this fascinating and unique historical work tells the remarkable story of the relationship between Americans and trees across the entire span of our nation's history.

The format's more modest, but the visual splendor is as huge as ever. This miniature Tree offers James Balog's groundbreaking portraits in a smaller but equally beautiful format, with three gatefolds. Makes a great gift! Acclaimed photographer James Balog's groundbreaking tree portraits now come in a miniature but equally gifty format. This new edition preserves the sense of awe found in the original book, with stunning looks at North America's most superlative trees--the old, the massive, the tall--in whatever landscape they remain. Immense portraits of sequoias and redwoods as no human has ever viewed them are captured in thousands of tiny frames as the photographer rappels down a neighboring tree. We see thoughtful portrayals of trees that have survived by sheer hardiness or luck, standing poised on the edge of northern wilderness, isolated on a golf course, or pardoned by the mark of a forward-thinking logger. Three gatefolds display Balog's signature multi-image works. With accompanying essays by the photographer, this pictographic volume truly delivers a new vision of American trees. "James Balog photographed 92 superlative specimens in novel ways...But it [is] his full-length images of the big guys...that required every bit of Mr. Balog's ingenuity."--The New York Times "Here comes the sap-a-razzi! James Balog goes to dizzying heights to take stunning photos of trees."-- People magazine

Close to 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas and depends on the essential ecological, economic, and social benefits provided by urban trees and forests. However, the distribution of urban tree cover and the benefits of urban forests vary across the United States, as do the challenges of sustaining this important resource. As urban areas expand across the country, the importance of the benefits that urban forests provide, as well as the challenges to their conservation and maintenance, will increase. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the current status and benefits of America's urban forests, compare differences in urban forest canopy cover among regions, and discuss challenges facing urban forests and their implications for urban forest management.