The quarterly publication The Dendrologist (ISSN 0966-9124) ceased publication in 2013 after having been published by volunteers over 30 years. Over the years, The Dendologist had published a number of practical booklets for tree enthusiasts, including a guide to a volunteer run arboretum in the Chilterns. Consequently it seemed loyal subscribers might appreciate a last useful publication in the form of this book.
There were seminal articles from The Dendrologist itself that could be used in the Handbook and a huge reservoir of information from within its pages of the last three decades. Any gaps could be filled from the notes the author has been making since she became interested in trees over 40 years ago. It was from these ad hoc notes that the author has extracted a lot of the information that appears here. It reflects what she found useful or possibly indispensable to her understanding to both appreciate Britain's treescapes and also to comprehend the problems facing them which, in so many ways, also affect us.
The book gives both a short introduction to the botany and identification of trees, as well as a series of practical articles on propagation, growing, and pruning, measuring trees, dealing with pest species such as squirrels, plus an addendum containing a dictionary and a list of botanical gardens and arboreta in the British Isles where one can find trees.