AIE - Book Review - Body Language of Trees.

Book Summary

ma_book.jpg (17485 bytes) The Body Language of Trees

by Claus Mattheck and Helge Breloer

'The Body Language of Trees' is the second title in a series of three essential research books written for the 'Research for Amenity Trees' program. The other 2 titles are 'Diagnosis of ill-health in trees' and 'Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management'. This book focuses on the subject of tree construction and the mechanical principles at work within the tree; it offers advice on how to interpret and evaluate tree body language.

Chapter 1 People endanger trees - Do trees endanger people?
Chapter 2 Mans responsibility towards trees.
Chapter 3 Tree Form as an Ideal Structure. This chapter discusses tree loading, the axiom of uniform stress, self optimisation and more.
Chapter 4 Why do trees snap despite their optimal form?
Chapter 5 Manifestations of Tree Fractures. This chapter discusses bending stresses, stem breakage, shell buckling, foreign bodies, trunk fractures, torsion fractures, branch splitting, root delamination and more.
Chapter 6 Windthrow: Falling without fracturing? This chapter discusses the mechanics of roots, soil shear, shallow rooters, heart rooters, tap rooters and root cross sections.
Chapter 7 Wind, Roots and Pipelines. This chapter looks at the mechanics of root and pipeline interaction.
Chapter 8 Recognising Predictable Tree Failures; the Principles. This chapter discusses the body language of trees, visual tree assessment (VTA), tools and a procedure for VTA.
Chapter 9 Unpredictable Tree Fracture.
Chapter 10 Safety factors in Animals and Trees.
Chapter 11 Other Diagnostic Methods.
Chapter 12 Tree Assessment and Legal Judgements
Chapter 13 Mechanics: Practical Applications in Arboriculture. This chapter discusses the mechanical concepts, the structure and mechanics of wood, bark physiognomy, tree subsidence, cracks, compression bark and tension bark.
Chapter 14 A practical guide for tree inspection

As with the other books in this series the 'The Body Language of Trees' is another must for the consulting arboriculturist.

The Body Language of Trees by Claus Mattheck and Helge Breloer. 1997. 240 pages. 129 black & white illustrations. ISBN 0-11-753067-0. Published and available from The Stationary Office. The book costs 18.50 GBP + p&p.

Link to book summary for Diagnosis of ill-health in trees
Link to book summary for Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management.