As the oldest living inhabitants on the planet, trees have played a major part in the way we live today, providing both the daily oxygen we breathe and the foundation of our nations heritage. Every native tree in Britain, whether its part of a grand avenue, a thriving hedgerow, an ancient wood or a colourful orchard, tells a different story. The Trees That Made Britain takes us on a journey of discovery to every corner of the nation. Through detailed portraits of individual tree species, author and photographer Archie Miles reveals the stories of the trees that have influenced the culture, myths and fabric of the nation. The book is full of surprising facts on how trees have been used by man over the centuries, from the oak used in the building of HMS Victory to ancient longbows made from yew, as well as practical advice on visiting some of Britains finest living examples. The combination of rich historical material and lyrical descriptions captures the essence of our native tree species.

As the oldest living inhabitants on the planet, trees have played a major part in the way we live today, providing both the daily oxygen we breathe and the foundation of our nations heritage. Every native tree in Britain, whether its part of a grand avenue, a thriving hedgerow, an ancient wood or a colourful orchard, tells a different story. The Trees That Made Britain takes us on a journey of discovery to every corner of the nation. Through detailed portraits of individual tree species, author and photographer Archie Miles reveals the stories of the trees that have influenced the culture, myths and fabric of the nation. The book is full of surprising facts on how trees have been used by man over the centuries, from the oak used in the building of HMS Victory to ancient longbows made from yew, as well as practical advice on visiting some of Britains finest living examples. The combination of rich historical material and lyrical descriptions captures the essence of our native tree species.

Robert Penn cut down an ash tree to see how many things could be made from it. After all, ash is the tree we have made the greatest and most varied use of over the course of human history. Journeying from Wales across Europe and Ireland to the USA, Robert finds that the ancient skills and knowledge of the properties of ash, developed over millennia making wheels and arrows, furniture and baseball bats, are far from dead. The book chronicles how the urge to understand and appreciate trees still runs through us all like grain through wood.

Trees are now in the public eye as never before. The threat of tree diseases, the felling of street trees, and the challenge of climate change are just some of the issues that have put trees in the media spotlight. At the same time, the trees in our parks, gardens, and streets are a vital resource that can deliver environmental, social, and economic benefits that make our towns and cities attractive, green, and healthy places. Ever since Roman times when amenity trees were first planted in Britain, caring for those trees has required specialist skills. This is mainly because of the challenges of successfully integrating large trees into the urban environment and the risks involved in working with them, often at height and in close proximity to people, buildings and roads. But who are the people with the specialist expertise to care for our amenity trees? While professionals such as horticulturists, landscape architects, conservationists and foresters have a role to play, it is the arboriculturists who are the ‘tree experts’. For centuries arboriculture was often synonymous with forestry or considered an aspect of horticulture, until it emerged in the nineteenth century as a separate discipline. There are now some 22,000 people employed in Britain’s arboricultural industry, including practical tree surgeons and arborists, local authority tree officers, and arboricultural consultants. This is the first book to trace the history of Britain’s professional tree experts, from the Roman arborator to the modern chartered arboriculturist. It also discusses the influences from continental Europe and North America that have helped to shape British arboriculture over the centuries. The Tree Experts will have particular appeal to those interested in the natural and built environment, heritage landscapes, social history, and the history of gardening.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Silva Britannica is a celebration of trees in Britain, with the focus principally on the native species. It brings together numerous tree-related topics, with chapters concerning their evolution, their sociological, economic and cultural influences on man, the diversity of manifestations within individual species, and the interrelationships between the various species. There is fascinating materials on trees in myth and legend, on the herbal and medicinal uses of trees, on woodland crafts and industries, and on tree planting, conservation and management. Trees and the products of trees touch the lives of everyone. The book sets out to inspire a greater appreciation and understanding of exactly how and why this is so. It is highly readable, full of accurate and scholarly information, and profusely and splendidly illustrated with many hundreds of new photographs and archive illustrations.

An illustrated natural history of British native trees, by a celebrated botanical artist and her forester brother-in-law Our trees are among our greatest national treasures, and yet today many people have forgotten their names, their identifying features and the stories we used to tell about them. In Overleaf, the botanical painter Susan Ogilvy and the forester Richard Ogilvy reacquaint us with the trees of the British Isles through careful study of their leaves. From the water-loving alder to the long-lived yew, Susan paints every tree's leaf or needle in exquisite, jewel-like detail, at exactly life size, while Richard explores their natural history, the landscapes they inhabit and the ways we use their timber, leaves, flowers and fruit in craft, industry, food and medicine. As vivid and true to life as a book of freshly picked and pressed leaves, Overleaf will delight and inform tree-spotting beginners and seasoned naturalists alike.

A lavishly illustrated tribute to Britain's oldest, largest and most famous trees told through legends, history and literature. Trees have always inspired awe and wonder and some of our ancient trees have been standing for over a thousand years. In this fascinating and lovingly researched book the author selects the most interesting of them and compares archive photographs and engravings with contemporary colour photographs. They include the legendary Royal Oak that King Charles I hid in while being chased by Roundhead troops and The Betty Kenny yew tree that is believed to have inspired the nursery rhyme 'Rock a bye baby'. There is a gazetteer of where to see all the trees, including in various National Trust properties.

For the times when you’re driving past a lumpy, bumpy field and you wonder what made the lumps and bumps; for when you’re walking between two lines of grand trees, wondering when and why they were planted; for when you see a brown heritage sign pointing to a ‘tumulus’ but you don’t know what to look for… Entertaining and factually rigorous, Hidden Histories will help you decipher the story of our landscape through the features you can see around you. This Spotter’s Guide arms the amateur explorer with the crucial information needed to ‘read’ the landscape and spot the human activities that have shaped our green and pleasant land. Photographs and diagrams point out specific details and typical examples to help the curious Spotter ‘get their eye in’ and understand what they’re looking at, or looking for. Specially commissioned illustrations bring to life the processes that shaped the landscape - from medieval ploughing to Roman road building - and stand-alone capsules explore interesting aspects of history such as the Highland Clearances or the coming of Christianity. This unique guide uncovers the hidden stories behind the country's landscape, making it the perfect companion for an exploration of our green and pleasant land.