Trees of Britain and Ireland is the tree book you’ve been waiting for

Marking 35 years in the tree world...

Trees of Britain and Ireland, a new book from Jon Stokes, The Tree Council’s Director of Trees, Science & Research, provides detailed information and imagery of every tree and shrub species present across these islands.

Calling it a “passion project” and “the book I’ve always wanted”, Jon put his now 35 years’ experience in tree conservation toward personally finding and documenting characteristics of all UK and Irish tree species – whether located on mountain sides, cliff edges, or in deep gorges.

He said: “Writing this book has been my aspiration for my entire working life, because there hasn’t been a book, until now, that I felt met the needs of people who are keen to discover more in-depth details about trees. I’m delighted that after four years of working in the margins of a busy job, this passion project has finally sprung to life.

“For me, trees are more than just the basic descriptions you might find in other reference books. They’re about the wildlife, the ecology, the natural history, the fun facts and the fascinating details The Tree Council tries to convey as an organisation, but which is hard to find in one place.”

Published as part of Princeton University Press’ WILDGuides series, Trees of Britain and Ireland opens with comprehensive background information and insights into everything associated with trees; from defining a native species, to the difference between a tree and a shrub.

It explains how a tree “works”, for example, how roots function and why leaves are green; details the life cycle of a tree, explains different tree shapes, management approaches and their effects; describes the full range of habitats, from lowland wet scrub to temperate rainforest; and provides the reader with detailed insights into the history and current state of UK and Irish treescapes – all supported by specific and relevant imagery, much of it the author’s own.

But the book’s main purpose is tree identification – again supported by a wealth of imagery that should enable even the most hesitant tree lover, including many largely unknown and previously under recorded species and varieties.

Jon said: “There’s a whole range of species that haven’t been seen in a tree ID book before and few people even know exist; like the low-growing Net-leaved Willow mainly found in the mountains of Perthshire; the rare Margaret’s Whitebeam clinging to the cliffs in north Devon; and even the critically endangered native Wild Cotoneaster, only found in North Wales.”

Across his long career, and as part of his research, Jon visited every single tree and shrub species featured. This included clinging to mountainsides in Scotland, looking for Net-leaved Willows – a creeping species adapted to living among the extreme conditions of the Scottish mountain; to bouncing around on a boat with a group of volunteer Tree Wardens in Wales, looking for hemispherical Juniper on a coastal island; and crouching down along perilous Welsh cliff edges to ensure that he “wouldn’t be blown away”, while seeking Ley’s Whitebeam.

In total, Trees of Britain and Ireland provides information on 113 native trees and shrubs, including all 42 currently recognised Whitebeam species (at the time of publication), as well as 190 common non-native species and subspecies. It also includes more than 3,000 photographs and 270 illustrations, showing key identification features of each tree, and highlighting some of the animals, plants, fungi and lichens that depend on them.

Trees of Britain and Ireland is now available to purchase, with a proportion of the proceeds going towards The Tree Council’s work.

Jon said: “I’m lucky to have spent my life working with trees. I love doing something I believe really matters.

“I wanted to not only produce a fascinating book about trees, but I also wanted some of the proceeds to do something positive for trees as well.

“So, when people buy the book, some of the proceeds will end up doing some good for tree conservation and that has to be a good thing.”

Trees of Britain and Ireland, by Jon Stokes, and part of Princeton University Press’ WildGUIDES series, is available in all good bookshops. To order your copy, please visit https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691224169/trees-of-britain-and-ireland

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