Rating: 
Summary: Long live our city trees!
Review: A dream book for all city tree lovers. Chock-full of accessible and thoughtful descriptions of city tree types. Excellent resource section offering an informative glossary, further reading section, internet sites, and how to keep our city trees healthy.
Rating:
Summary: Must-read for tree lovers
Review: As a traveller, walker, and jogger, I've spent a lot of time perusing various urban landscapes over the past quarter-century. If only I'd had "The Urban Tree Book" handy all those years! Like many, I've acquired a superficial knowledge of the trees and shrubs I've encountered by perusing guides and fieldbooks, but those aren't books for reading. Arthur Plotnik's book, loaded with fascinating facts, lively personal observations, and helpful illustrations, is the exception. I bought it out of idle curiosity but immediately proceeded to read it straight through. Mr. Plotnik, clearly a tree "amateur" (lover) in the best sense of the word, has brought the writer's art to the tree guide. "The Urban Tree Book" has the feel of a good travel book, written by a friendly and knowledgeable companion eager to share the delights of the journey. It's a book I'll return to frequently and can recommend highly.
Rating: 
Summary: The Urban Tree Book
Review: Buy "The Urban Tree Book" by Arthur Plotnik if you want a well reasoned authoritative and beautifully written book on urban trees. The author does pure and poetic justice to many of my favorite city trees, and like many of us, he loves them all, worts and all. As an example, the "Tree of Heaven," Ailanthus altissima, is a tree many an Arborist or Landscaper loves to hate -- for a number of good reasons as the author points-out. He then goes on to tell of the many beauties and uses of this tree that "...Grows In Brooklyn." He finishes always the diplomat as he asks: "Is it a weed? It's your city. You decide." Arthur validates those of us who believe that, here in the West, many urban landscapes would have few city trees of consequence if it weren't for the so-called weed trees. At the same time he acknowledges the drawbacks of plants that encroach upon the native landscape. With humor and grace he tell's of the natural and not so natural histories of his chosen subjects, explaining virtues and vices of our arboreal friends in manner delightfully entertaining as well as edifying. He explains reasons for banning on city tree lists. Nevertheless, ever the arboreal gentleman, Mr. Plotnik treats all with fairness and honesty as he describes their beauties and many other reasons for appreciating them. Among other tough and sometimes-maligned arboreal foreigners, he features a favorite of mine, Paulownia, the Princess/Empress Tree. He speaks of the "Red Menace" and other maples that tear-up sidewalks, and scatter seeds, etc., but he then waxes eloquent on the irreplaceable beauties of all 'his' maples. Arthur is effusive, as are we all, in the presence of the incomparable flowering cherry, admitting to its many shortcomings that include, among many others, a very short life. Of the future of flowering cherries he says: "For all the effort, risk, and poignancy of planting flowering cherries around town, urban landscapers seem happy to do it." His section on "Resources" includes a glossary, a well-selected bibliography, Internet sites and descriptions of organizations and institutions relevant to urban trees. Arthur Plotnik tops it all off with a very helpful section on "Tree Wellness, Notes and Sources." There are trees I would add to this guide, but none that I would take away. You will miss some members of your landscape in this book. This is understandable since some of the missing are members of two very large genuses, oaks and pines. "The Urban Tree Book" is well worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: A Tree Grows in Nashville
Review: I bought this guide when it first came out and enjoyed every tree, word and atticism. I am going to revisit this wonderful book to journey back into the life of a city's street trees. Wonderful, delightful and perfectly good reading for the neighborhood tree-hugger. A must have for any one who appreciates trees and literature. Mr. Plotnik gives us a vortiginous account of what trees are. "It's not what you look at, but what you see." - H.D.T.I will always keep this book close at hand throughout my journey through life. Excellent. Vostellung!
Rating:
Summary: A Tree Grows in Nashville
Review: I bought this guide when it first came out and enjoyed every tree, word and atticism. I am going to revisit this wonderful book to journey back into the life of a city's street trees. Wonderful, delightful and perfectly good reading for the neighborhood tree-hugger. A must have for any one who appreciates trees and literature. Mr. Plotnik gives us a vortiginous account of what trees are. "It's not what you look at, but what you see." - H.D.T. I will always keep this book close at hand throughout my journey through life. Excellent. Vostellung!
Rating:
Summary: A Mighty Acorn of a Book
Review: I got this book to help me learn about--not just identify--my neighborhood trees. It's excellent. It's written for the layman, and it is so comprehensive and interesting to read. I've gone through much of this book with my kids, who, because they're city-dwellers, rarely get a chance to thoughtfully examine the fauna that's all around us. Now my 9-year-old can explain differences between maples as well as point out ash, linden, and several species of oak. This book is great for people who want to train themselves to notice details, like leaf arrangement, general shape, and bark patterns. It makes you a better observer, and it helps you notice much more than the trees themselves (like what lives on, or in, them). This is fun to take on a walk through the park.
Rating:
Summary: A Mighty Acorn of a Book
Review: I got this book to help me learn about--not just identify--my neighborhood trees. It's excellent. It's written for the layman, and it is so comprehensive and interesting to read. I've gone through much of this book with my kids, who, because they're city-dwellers, rarely get a chance to thoughtfully examine the fauna that's all around us. Now my 9-year-old can explain differences between maples as well as point out ash, linden, and several species of oak. This book is great for people who want to train themselves to notice details, like leaf arrangement, general shape, and bark patterns. It makes you a better observer, and it helps you notice much more than the trees themselves (like what lives on, or in, them). This is fun to take on a walk through the park.
Rating:
Summary: A "must-have" for tree-lovers
Review: The Urban Tree Book is indeed an uncommon guide. In fact, for tree-lovers, it's indispensable. The book is immensely informative and comprehensive enough to serve as a stand-alone American tree reference. But it's head-and-shoulders above mere reference books, thanks to Mr. Plotnik's expressive language and irrepressible wit. Of the trembling aspen, for example, he notes, "One expects to find shaking and quaking in New York City, but not necessarily a forest tree that trembles in all five boroughs day and night for three seasons a year." This attractive volume is entertaining enough for a cover-to-cover read. Artist Mary Phelan's beautiful illustrations bring each tree species to life; they're more evocative than photographs. Among my many favorite drawings are the detailed depictions of bark and leaf types near the front of the book and the splendid illustration of towering ponderosa pines in a mountain town setting. There's an unusually helpful index and even a separate "index to illustrated identification features" at the end. The book is logically laid out, with everything from botanical basics to tree maintenance at your fingertips. If you want to learn more about the trees around you and have some fun in the bargain, The Urban Tree Book is the one.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful, Beautiful Book.
Review: The Urban Tree Book is quite a find- crisp, clear, especially well-written, always interesting, totally useful. Arthur Plotnik has made a valuable contibution to the literature of the urban forest with this book. The illustrations of his wife, Mary Phelan are terrific and add much to this rare find of a book. This one would make a wondeful gift, for anyone who appreciates trees and fine writing. But, be sure to read it yourself first! Too good to miss!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful, Beautiful Book.
Review: The Urban Tree Book is quite a find- crisp, clear, especially well-written, always interesting, totally useful. Arthur Plotnik has made a valuable contibution to the literature of the urban forest with this book. The illustrations of his wife, Mary Phelan are terrific and add much to this rare find of a book. This one would make a wondeful gift, for anyone who appreciates trees and fine writing. But, be sure to read it yourself first! Too good to miss!
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