Trees by Roland Ennos, Natural History Museum via Plymbridge Distributors,
拢9.95, ISBN 0565091603
NO, this is not yet another guide to tree recognition. It is a marvellously
informative look at trees as plants, how they developed and how they live. The
first section鈥檚 title, 鈥淎dvantages of being a tree鈥�, sets the tone and it is not
long until some statement drops the jaw. The largest organisms that have ever
lived are trees: a giant redwood can be ten times heavier than a full-grown blue
whale.
The explanations of such mysteries as how trees raise water up to their
topmost leaves, why they have single trunks and how they are structured to
withstand wind pressures and weather combine clarity and style in a way that
makes the book a rare pleasure to read. The pleasure is somewhat marred by the
facts about worldwide deforestation and its contribution to carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere, but Ennos sees at least some grounds for hope in reforestation
schemes, perhaps propelled by people鈥檚 delight in trees. If only this could be a
bestseller . . .
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