by W. John Kress
Yale University Press, 2024
W. John Kress takes on a worthy objective in Smithsonian Trees of North America: rebuilding humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Curator emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Kress extends an invitation to step in to the vast world of trees in a way that feels accessible to a wide range of readers. His motivation comes from a deep concern about climate change and how our loss of respect for nature has contributed to it. This book aims to foster the reader’s relationship with trees by acquainting people with their names and evolutionary classification, their physical form and function, the ecological context in which they live, and the value they bring to humans and ecosystems.
Kress focuses on the 326 most common tree species of North America, including 280 native and 46 non-native species. While introducing the major evolutionary groups or summarizing each genus the book describes, he includes the total number of species in each group as well as the number of species common in North America. This inspires awe of the vastness of the world of trees while also grounding the reader in their local context.
The book is divided into two main sections. The first comprises six narrative chapters, which provide information about trees’ abundance, ecological and monetary value, physical structure and reproduction, conservation, identification, and evolutionary classifications.
The second section is longer and structured like a guidebook, with each page focusing on an individual species. It is organized phylogenetically to highlight the evolutionary relationships between the species. To introduce each group of trees, Kress includes a brief summary describing notable commonalities, as well as how humans typically use them. In one instance, Kress writes about how firs are not typically used in construction but instead cultivated as ornamentals and grown as Christmas trees. These summaries help readers conceptualize both the relationships between trees – what it means to be in the same family or the same genus – and also to reflect on what their own relationships and associations with them may be, going a step beyond the typical field guide. Each page also includes the species’ vulnerability to climate change and its conservation status, as well as compelling photographs of reproductive structures, leaves, bark, and stages of development.
Kress encourages further investigation by using approachable language and even a playful tone at times. He acknowledges that learning to identify trees can be overwhelming, noting, “no single character or trait alone will identify all trees.” He does not shy away from scientific or botanical terms but uses them in a moderated way and defines them clearly, creating a bridge into the world of botany. He also makes frequent mention of widely accessible resources readers may use to expand their understanding of trees, including books and plant identification apps for smartphones.
Kress suggests that learning about trees can expand our understanding of the world. “On the way to work every day, you might pass by a tree planted along the street and pay it no attention because you know nothing about it,” he writes. “But once you know that its name is ginkgo, suddenly you have opened a gateway to an infinite amount of information about this tree.” Kress writes that the scientific names of trees “highlight their place in Nature and their position on the tree of life,” and emphasizes that learning the name of a single tree can provide a window into the natural history, evolution, and ecology of that species. If everyone developed familiar relationships with the trees around them, perhaps there would be a mindset shift toward a greater respect for the natural world, just as Kress hopes. This book provides a step in that direction.