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Author(s): J. Russell Smith
Publisher: Devin-Adair Pub
Paperback: 422 pages
ISBN: 0933280440
ISBN-13: 978-0933280441
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Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture (Conservation Classics)
This is an amazing book! Published in 1950, it is the second, enlarged edition of a book originally written in, I think, 1939. It reflects a lifetime of research around the world and personal trials on the author’s farm in Virginia on the uses of tree crops for animal and human food. It anticipates the permaculture literature in advocating a “two-storey” agriculture, with tree crops (primarily nuts) as the primary source of animal fodder on sloping and hilly land. It documents the incredible productivity of tree crops and their traditional uses as fodder for pigs, goats, cattle, and poultry. I was particularly struck by the evidence from southern Europe, where extensive chestnut forests produce(d) some of the finest pork in the region. But there is evidence from around the globe, attesting to not only the uses of tree crops but their potential for breeding to build on that potential.
Following up on Smith’s advice, I went to my local garden shop recently to inquire about honey locusts. Oh yes, I was told, we sold quite a few to the city as shade trees. No, no, I said, I want a messy variety, one that drops bushels of pods. She looked it up. Apparently the breeders have indeed been at work since Smith wrote — eliminating the seeds from a tree that could provide nutritious feed to replace the corn and soy beans whose production has been ravishing the planet for decades! The book should be in every permaculturalist’s library but in every rural public library, as well, and regularly taught in our terrible agricultural colleges.
–Michael Foley
Author(s): Bill Mollison, Reny Mia Slay
Publisher: Ten Speed
ISBN: 0908228082
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Revised Paperback, 224 pages
This is a great introduction and overview of permaculture concepts. The book covers a lot of material for initiates to permaculture. It’s sets the foundation for further reading and studies for those who want to get serious though one could take the principles learned just from this book alone and be quite successful in my opinion. You learn how the sun, wind and rain, all play an important role in siting structures like homes, sheds, barns, green and shade houses and also in garden and plant selection and placement. The book also covers designing for temperate, tropical and dry-land environments. It explains how interconnected relationships between the land, climate, soils, water, structures, flora and fauna can be fostered to the benefit of all. There are just so many creative ideas and diagrams in this book that it is worth it for those alone. The book is 8 1/4 X 11 inches with small print that fills the pages with valuable information. I want to live in the sub-tropics of Hawaii and enjoyed the coverage in this regard but, the book also left me day dreaming about living the permaculture lifestyle in other areas like the High Desert of New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest of Oregon. This book touches on all the possibilities, from the home garden with a few animals to commercial orchards, forests, animal farms, aquaculture, urban gardens and more. But don’t get me wrong, it does not cover these topics in depth, it gives a thorough introduction to these topics and an understanding that one would likely not gain by reading just one book. Also each chapter ends with a list of references for further reading. In addition there are appendices listing useful permaculture plants, such as nitrogen fixing plants. One appendix even breaks it down into useful categories, such as fruit plants and trees for temperate, topical/sub-tropical and dry areas,pest control plants and finally appendices which list hundreds of the plants mentioned in the text by common, Latin, and by species names. The book ends with a glossary of key terms used in the book and few pages about Bill Mollison (One of the founders of permaculture) and the permaculture institute including info on their 72 hour PC Design Certificate Course.
Author(s): Bill Mollison
Publisher: Ten Speed
ISBN: 0908228015
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For those of us searching for an ecologically responsible lifestyle amid urban and suburban insanity, Bill Mollison has a real and exciting answer. This book is full of helpful advice presented in a very readable way. (The only problem might be getting stuck in the chapters on climates that don’t concern you; just skip them until later!) The groundwork philosophy of permaculture is laid first, and the book moves from there to the practical business of actually designing one. The emphasis is on letting various plant and animal species work together as much as possible, to form a basically self-sustaining system from which people can reap a continual harvest, not only of food, but of interest and self-respect. What a prospect! It is certainly a very different one from what we young people have been taught to expect from life! This volume is much more complete in both the philosophy and the practice than were the original “Permaculture One” and “Permaculture Two.” It is also much less focused on the Southern Hemisphere, which is helpful for North Americans trying to visualize their own permaculture. I can only hope that more people happen upon this book as I did and are themselves inspired to create a fulfilling life for themselves and their children.
— Wendell Berry
This is the permaculture bible, written by the great guru of permaculture. Site design issues are interwoven throughout the text.
Author(s): Global Cities Project
Publisher: Global Cities Project
ISBN: 1880386070
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Building Sustainable Communities : An Environmental Guide for Local Government, Urban Forestry Publication date: June 1991
Author(s): Alan Rike Drengson (Editor), Duncan MacDonald Taylor (Editor), Jerry Mander
Publisher: New Society Pub
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN: 0865713650
ISBN-13: 978-0865713659
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Ecoforestry : The Art and Science of Sustainable Forest Use Paperback 320 pages April 1997 Dimensions (in inches): 0.90 x 8.98 x 8.02 Independent Presses Editor’s Recommended Book What can a weekend gardener do about the conditions of the world’s forests? Plenty. Respect for the land fosters universal values that inspire responsible use of lumber and wildlife resources. Ecoforestry explains what can be done on the personal and national levels. According to World Resources Institute, forests cover nearly 40 percent of Earth’s land area. The plants provide oxygen to our planet and relieve it of excess carbon monoxide. Forests thrill us with their beauty and sustain a panoply of wildlife and plant life. The authors concur that our efforts toward conservation must take into account the future needs of our children and grandchildren, and that forestry practices must be consistent with the cycles and diversity of the natural forest.
Author(s): Leslie Jones Sauer, Ian McHarg
Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (February 1, 1998)
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN: 1559635533
ISBN-13: 978-1559635530
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Developed by the landscape design firm of Andropogon Associates, world-renowned for their innovative approach to integrating environmental protection and restoration with landscape architecture and design, The Once and Future Forest is a guidebook for restoring and managing natural landscapes. Focusing on remnant forest systems, it describes methods of restoring and linking forest fragments to re-create a whole landscape fabric.
Author(s): Robert L. Edmonds
Publisher: Midwest Plan Service
ISBN: 0935817093
ISBN-13: 978-0935817096
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Lumber from Local Woodlots (Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service, No 23)
Paperback
Publication date: August 1988
The booklet discusses harvesting timber and sawing the logs into useful material, storing it and most importantly, selecting lumber for various building uses with a fairly comprehensive list of species and their building-use characteristics.
 Author(s): Guy Sternberg, Jim Wilson, James W. Wilson
Publisher: Chapters Pub Ltd
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN: 1881527662
ISBN-13: 978-1881527664
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Landscaping With Native Trees: The Northeast, Midwest, Midsouth & Southeast Edition
Paperback, 288 pages
Publication date: April 1996
Discusses the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the planting, care, and range, of virtually every tree species native to eastern North America north of the Gulf Coast. Covers landscaping, transplanting, leaf and tree silhouettes, and sources. Color photos present virtually every tree mentioned. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Midwest Book Review:
Residents of the Eastern regions will appreciate an edition which uses the expertise of these gardener authors to explore the pros and cons of over a hundred native trees. An organization by species makes it easy to locate growing characteristics and details on cultivation.
The publisher, Chapters Publishing (chapterj@together.net), 12/05/96:
Reviews Library Journal, Essential for most public libraries.; HortIdeas, Authoritative, up-to-date and beautifully produced.; Indianapolis Star, A beautiful and informative book.
Table of Contents
Introduction
At Home in the Forest
Getting Started
Building Around Your Trees
Dependable, Ornamental Natives
Tree & Leaf Silhouettes
From Abies to Ulmus
Specialty Trees
Glossary
Sources
Organizations
Bibliography
Index
USDA Hardiness Zone Map
Author(s): Patty Leslie, Paul W. Cox
Publisher: Corona Publishers
Paperback: 374 pages
ISBN: 0931722675
ISBN-13: 978-0931722677
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At last, an authoritative guide that is also readable; one that shows the trees’ relation to human and animal life — even in the charming illustrations. Includes leaf-shape guide, range maps, and an index of popular and scientific names for over 120 trees, both native and naturalized.
About the Author
Botanist Paul Cox is supervisor of the San Antonio Botanical Center. patty Leslie is the Center’s horticulturist in charge of native plant areas.
 Author(s): Robert A. Vines
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Paperback: 423 pages
ISBN: 0292780583
ISBN-13: 978-0292780583
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A comprehensive and compact field guide, Trees of Central Texas introduces 186 species of tree life in Central Texas, an area roughly the region of the Edwards Plateau and bordered by the Balcones Escarpment on the south and east, the Pecos River on the west, and the Texas Plains and the Llano Uplift on the north. From the hardy oaks and rugged mesquites to the graceful willows, cottonwoods, and pecans, the tree life of Central Texas varies as much as the vast and changing land that hosts it. Full descriptions and superb illustrations of all the native and naturalized trees of the region as well as fascinating bits of history and lore make this an essential guide to the wealth of tree life in Central Texas. Drawn from Robert A. Vines’ monumental Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of the Southwest (University of Texas Press, Trees of Central Texas combines the essential detail of the larger work with the ease and convenience of a field guide. It joins in print two additional field guides by Robert Vines, both published by the University of Texas Press: Trees of East Texas and Trees of North Texas.
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