These are the books I actually reach for as a consulting arborist in the Sierra foothills, split into field guides for identifying California trees and deeper reads on tree biology, urban forestry, and the fungi that live with trees. Every title is one I have used in the field or in study.
Tree Identification Guides
- Trees of the California Landscape by Charles Hatch
- California Trees by Matt Ritter and Michael Kauffman
- Trees and Shrubs of California by John D. Stewart
- Trees and Shrubs of Nevada and Placer County by Redbud Chapter California Native Plant Society
- Conifers of the Pacific Slope by Michael Kauffman
- Sibley Guide to Trees by David Allen Sibley
Tree (Mostly) Nonfiction
- Trees in Paradise by Jared Farmer
- Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes
- Up by Roots by James Urban
- Fungi and Trees by Lynne Boddy
- Body Language of Trees by Claus Mattheck