Trees, Woods and Man : 32

A fascinating exploration of British trees and woodlands that fills a long-planned gap in the New Naturalist series with charm and authority. Every page bears witness to H.L. Edlin's first-hand experience, from his time managing felling and replanting in the New Forest to his work with the Forestry Commission.

This comprehensive volume goes far beyond problems of afforestation and timber supply. Edlin deals in detail with all our important trees and shrubs, both native and introduced, against the background of their natural environment. He also explores the woodland crafts - many of them dying out - that have been handed down from the past, while addressing recent controversies over the Forestry Commission's planting policy.

A particular feature is Edlin's fine account of the past history of British woodlands, from the close of the Ice Age to the present day. His fascinating description of the changing fortunes of our forests is marked by an attempt to look at woodlands from the special point of view of the men of each succeeding age, as influenced by their social environment and available equipment. He points out, for example, that early settlers cleared the best forests first because a savage with a stone axe realised that this was the quickest method of getting fertile land for growing crops.

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