Familiar Trees of North America: Western Region

National Audubon Society Pocket Guides

by Jerry Franklin

These easy-to-use guides are divided into three parts: introductory essays; color plates and species accounts; and appendices - all in a convenient size

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Field Guides, Science, Nature, American

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 1987

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. On the right side of the page is a close-up of the leaves, needles, etc. The left hand side has a super-close-up of the bark, a sihouette of the tree, and a description.

In the back (starting on page 180 in the book I read) is a "Guide to Families", which is useful.

If they fixed what I don't like, it would have to be bigger (so no longer "pocket"). I would like them to add a photo of the tree, as well as a photo of the flower/catkin, and a photo of the fruit/nut/seed (and pine cone in pine-type trees. Not all pine cones look alike).

[Ettore Pasquini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a total novice at identifying flora and this tiny book was helpful during hikes outdoors. I think it’s the first book I actually started reading in the forest. After some time spent orientating myself between looking at similar pictures of different trees and comparing them with the actual tree standing in front of me, I was able to identify most of them. So I think the book succeeded. Next time I’ll try iNaturalist, although it does annoy me to use the phone outdoors — I also think there was a learning process that happened while flipping through the pages of this book, so we’ll see.

In any case the structure of this book is simple. Each tree gets a page of text with general characteristics (size, habitat, where/how it grows, shape/size of cones, silhouette, and other identification info) and a full page picture of the foliage. It’s small enough it can fit in a large pocket: actually an iPhone XS Max might be taller than the book length.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am decent at basic regional plant identification, but still struggle with distinguishing between some trees (especially conifers)! i picked this up at a redwoods NP visitor center. it is a very solid primer for introducing the differences amongst tree families, but now i want to read something that goes more in depth.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pocket or pack sized field guide for trees of the western United States. Includes color photos of leaf type & bark, an illustration of the silhouette, tree shape & a one page summary of facts about the tree, uses, etc; Identification; Habitat & Range.

[Fabio Mologni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice pocket field guide. Excellent for beginners or if you are not familiar with the region and travelling. The only downside is, at the beginning, there is a nice section explaining which traits to look for ("how to use this guide") with questions like: "Are needles single or grouped?". This is not always reflected in the descriptions: a beginner can ask the question, but may not be able to find the answer. The section "Guide to families" at the end offers some help and should be read first. However, what was really needed were drawings of the main characters. This also helps speed up the process in the field and avoid beginners having to read botanical descriptions which can be offputting. Big miss: there are no family names.

[Nikel27 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received out of my father's book collection