How to Read a Tree is a book by a natural navigator (he can find his way anywhere, by looking at a puddle or which way the tree blows) to explain how each tree we meet, is filled with signs to reveal its life and landscape.
The clues are easy to spot if you know what to look for. You’ll learn rare skills that can be applied each time you pass a tree, whether you are in a town or wilder spot. Trees can tell us about the land, water, people, animals, weather and time. And about their lives.
If planting trees, use no-dig methods and use fruit protection bags (instead of netting which traps birds & wildlife). Learn how to create gardens safe for pets (use humane slug/snail deterrents).
Avoid facing indoor foliage to outdoor gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows. Also know trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore).
Trees are living statues, and the lifeblood of our planet. They give out oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, and provide protection from wind and flooding. They make neighbourhoods nicer (and are proven to reduce crime rates) and also help to reduce heat island effect.
Trees also provide free food in the form of fruits and nuts, for both us and wildlife and birds. They also provide homes for birds (from owls to garden birds) and also help our mental health, through ‘forest bathing’ (there’s nothing like a walk in the woods to calm you down).
But our trees are in great peril. Not just abroad (like rainforest destruction) but millions of trees are felled in England, to provide wood and paper.
The best ways to help preserve our forests are to choose reusable or recycled paper products ((toilet roll, kitchen roll, tissues, notebooks) to protect temperate and tropical forest habitats. Also choose recycled and sustainable furniture.
Oaklores: Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees is a wonderful introduction to our majestic oak tree. What Robin Hood, the history of ink, fungi and Shakespeare? The answer is in this book, as the author explores the incredibly diverse history of the ‘king of the woods’. From a source of food and shelter to its use in literature, the oak tree’s role is an essential ingredient in ink (and in mythology across the British Isles).
Meet trees along the way like Sherwood Forest’s Medusa Oak or the gargantuan Marton Oak in Cheshire. Join the author on an unforgettable journey through the tangled roots of the oak’s story and that of our country itself. The author’s surname (Action) actually means ‘oak town!’ And she lives near Robin Hood’s former home of Sherwood Forest!
Keep away from grey/white caterpillars (oak processionary moths that cause allergies and breathing difficulties – contact a doctor/vet if in contact). Cordon off affected trees from livestock and horses. Mostly found in London in warm weather, report to council and Treealert.
The Heart of the Woods looks at how trees have evolved over time and (just like a parent to a child) has left a legacy. In this book, the author travels around England (and to Ireland) to explore what we get out of spending time around trees.
Stories in the book includes apple wassailing in Cornwall, making willow coffins (also in Cornwall), forest bathing in Northumberland and rewilding the Scottish Highlands.
The Little Book of Trees is a beautifully illustrated small guide co-written by a professor of biology and a professor of natural history. Learn about trees and their leaves, tree trunks and barks, and the architecture of trees. Along with seeds and curious facts.
Fun Books to Teach Children about Trees
The Lives of Trees is a beautiful book with illustrations on the anatomy of trees, for readers age 8 and above. It explains the functions of trees and shows how trees are born. And how they eat, drink, breathe and sleep! Plus how they defend themselves (sometimes attack), reproduce and in some incredible cases – move!
The Secret Life of the Forest helps children discover (with the help of Little Seed as a guide) the interconnected world of trees, animals and fungi. In this fun illustrated book, discover the hidden wonders of the forest. And uncover the web of connections that sustain this vibrant interconnected ecosystem, where each creature has a vital role to play.
Can You Hear The Trees Talking? is a best-selling children’s version of a book on how trees communicate to each other, written by a German forestry expert. Learn what trees feel, how they communicate and take care of their families, and how trees can act as nature’s water filters, keep us healthy and how we can help sick trees to get better.
How Well Do You Know England’s Trees?
Here’s a quick list of the main species of England’s trees:
- Alder & alder buckthorn
- Apple
- Ash
- Aspen
- Bay
- Beech (common or copper)
- Birch (silver or downy)
- Blackthorn
- Box
- Blackthorn
- Cedar
- Cherry (bird, cherry or wild)
- Cedar
- Crab apple
- Cypress (lawson or Leyland)
- Dogwood
- Elder
- Elm (English, field, Huntington or wych)
- Eucalyptus
- European larch
- Douglas fir
- Guelder rose
- Hawthorn (or Midland hawthorn)
- Hazel
- Holly
- Hornbeam
- Horse chestnut
- Juniper
- Lime (common, small, large-leaved)
- Maple (field or maple)
- Monkey puzzle
- Oak (English, holm, red, sessile, turkey)
- Olive
- Pear (or Plymouth pear)
- Pine (black or Scots)
- Plane (very common in London)
- Plum (or cherry plum)
- Poplar (black or white)
- Rowan
- Spindle
- Spruce (sitka or Norway)
- Sweet chestnut
- Sycamore
- Walnut (or black walnut)
- Wayfaring
- Western red cedar
- Whitebeam (or rock whitebeam)
- Wild service
- Willow
- Yew (or Irish yew)