Florida Arbor Day—More Than Planting Trees
January 21st marks Florida’s Arbor Day, and throughout the state, there will be events with tree giveaways and plantings. New trees are an important component of the environment, but they don’t grow in isolation. When planting trees, it’s important to consider what trees to plant, where you plant them, how you plant them, and why.
Two new books at the IFAS Extension Bookstore look at trees within the context of human environments.
Urban Ecology for Citizens and Planners
Gail Hansen and Joseli Macedo
University Press of Florida
Parks, gardens and greenspaces offer necessary benefits for cities—they filter pollution, mitigate temperatures and offer areas of beauty and contemplation for city dwellers. However, it takes careful planning and maintenance to make urban ecology thrive.
This book is ideal for city residents, developers, designers, and officials looking for ways to bring urban environments into harmony with the natural world and to make cities more sustainable. It offers a wealth of information and examples from urban forests around the world to guide green initiatives and inform environmental policies.
A valuable resource for real-world solutions, this volume encourages citizens and planners to actively engage and collaborate in improving their communities and quality of life.
Dr. Gail Hansen is an associate professor in the ornamental horticulture department at the University of Florida. Dr. Joseli Macedo is professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgari.
368 pp.
$45.00
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
Douglas W. Tallamy
Timber Press
“In too many areas of our country there is no place left for wildlife but in the landscapes and gardens we ourselves create.”
With great detail and insight, naturalist Douglas Tallamy uncovers the complex interdepence between plants and wildlife and explains how, when non-native plants take over a landscape, insects and other wildlife soon disappear. Using ecological science, plant lists and eye-catching photos, Tallamy shows how anyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity by planting native trees and other plants.
360 pp.
$19.95
Also at IFASBOOKS:
Trees: North & Central Florida
Andrew Koeser, Gitta Hasing, Melissa Friedman, Robert Irving
This field guide to 140 tree species–the only one of its kind for north and central Florida–is designed for landscape professionals, arborists, naturalists, gardeners, and anyone seeking to know the trees around them.
Full color photographs of leaves, bark, flowers and full trees, together with clear descriptions and other information make identifying trees easier than ever. The book also features a handy diagnostic key, an introduction to plant parts, a glossary and a ruler to guide you, whether you’re a trained botanist or a total beginner.
320 pp.
$24.95
(A companion guide, Trees: South Florida and the Keys, published by University Press of Florida, is currently out of print.)
Trees of the Southeast Playing Cards
If you’re someone who “hearts” trees and card games, this unique deck will “bridge” both interests. Perfect for “clubs” or “solitaire”, you’ll increase your knowledge of regional tree species in “spades” as you play. One look at these colorful and educational cards and you’ll want to “hold ‘em”!
$5.95
For more, visit http://ifasbooks.ifas.ufl.edu/
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