In her major work Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America, noted botanist, ecologist, and conservationist Dr. Emily Lucy Braun traces the overarching history of the eastern North American woodlands from antediluvian times to the relatively recent (in geologic terms) arrival of European settlers, when the region underwent rapid and dramatic changes.

Braun methodically divides the region into smaller ecosystems, based on their dominant deciduous species, such as the Oak-Hickory Region, or the Maple-Basswood Region. She explores patterns of current plant distribution and looks at the paleobotanic record. In building a picture of the primordial landscape, Braun conducted extensive field studies for several decades, working in an ever-diminishing virgin footprint in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Virginias, and Pennsylvania. Here is a diligently researched botanic history of the eastern United States.

A professor at the University of Cincinnati for many years, Braun and her students made extensive investigations of forest ecosystems. Dr Braun became the first woman president of the Ecological Society of America and was instrumental in preserving 10,000 wooded acres in Ohio; her dedicated research helped to create plant ecology as an academic discipline.

This classic reference meticulously documents regional changes from prehistoric times through the 1950s. Well-illustrated with maps and tables, it is a must for serious students of dendrology, botany, and ecology, as well as conservationists seeking a deeper understanding of the forested landscape.

This book is also available from Echo Point Books as a paperback (ISBN 1648373119).