North Woods: An Inside Look at the Nature of Forests in the Northeast

I needed this book for a botony study, it was a great help. Marchand takes the reader inside the eco-system and shows us alot of the details we were missing.

This book is a concise introduction to the ecology of environments in Northern New England, especially those of the Appalachian peaks. Marchand, a professor at Johnson State College in Vermont, wrote the book partly in response to discussions about the mountains he had with visitors to Green Mountain hiking huts. Topics covered include reading the landscape, plant communities, adaption at high elevations, and the future of the north woods. The book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings and includes an index. Although the book is not a field guide to local species, it does include some information that can be quite useful. Rather than provide specific keys to determining the species of trees based on minutiae, Marchand instructs readers how to identify firs, spruces, pines, and hemlocks along the roadside, while driving 55 mph. That is, he encourages readers to look at the big picture first, and only then begin observing details, an approach that many beginners may find less daunting than studying complex keys, but just as effective.