Oak A British History

About this book

A cultural history, exploring how people have managed and exploited oakwoods since the Neolithic and how they have used its timber in ships, furniture and buildings. Also revealed are the lost silvicultural techniques of the past - methods of propagating, raising, managing, coppicing and felling oak. The book includes an appendix giving details of over 700 significant oak trees.

Contents

Foreword by the Lord Clinton, President of the Royal Forestry Society. The Early History of Oak in Britain. Propagation and Raising Oak. Management and Silviculture. Past and Present Uses. Oak in Shipbuilding. Oak in Myth and Symbols. The Role of Oak in the future. Epilogue. Appendix: A List of Historic and Named Oaks. Bibliography.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Esmond Harris has spent a lifetime working as a forester, and is a past Director of the Royal Forestry Society. Jeanette Harris is a naturalist and author. Together they wrote the best-selling Reader's Digest Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain. They also run a small farm in Cornwall, which has won awards for its woodland renovation. N.D.G. James was President of the Royal Forestry Society and the author of several tree books. He died in 1993, having laid the foundations for this book.