Missouri Woods
by Robert Massengale

Review by Mark Gezella

November 2007

I bet I'm not the only one that thinks we had a perfect day for our annual picnic, eh? Pleasant weather settled on us as we enjoyed a picturesque landscape at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, followed by lunch in Tower Grove park - a recipe for a memorable day. I could only stay for the garden tour that day, but I'm sure good food and fellowship were in abundance that afternoon. I'd like to once again thank Michael Olson and Jim Hoeller for their efforts in arranging the tour with Skip Kincaid as our Guide. Marvelous!

I first met Skip several years ago when he lectured sessions I attended as a volunteer for Forest Releaf of Missouri. For those of you not familiar with this organization, it's a non-profit group whose goal is to preserve and promote forestation in urban environments. Skip was not affiliated with Forest Releaf, but volunteered his time to instruct us on topics ranging from tree planting to urban forest sustainability. The organization does great work arranging free or heavily discounted trees for use in public and/or not-for-profit spaces, and maintains a nursery near Creve Coeur park. Years ago when I volunteered, they were using approximately ten acres near the airport (Lambert actually donated land for this use). It's come a long way since inception. We could hardly hear ourselves talk at the first nursery, thanks to all of the air traffic!

All families that attended our MoBot tour received a copy of Missouri Woods, the subject of my article for this month. Fortunately for me there were extra copies remaining, and at my request Michael secured one for our library. I should admit that we already had a copy of this publication before the picnic, but since it's a bit older, I thought an extra might serve us well. It's published by the Missouri Department of Conservation, which produced another small book called Missouri Trees, also in our library.

Missouri Woods is not so much a book as it is a pamphlet on steroids. Though a diminutive, soft-bound offering (less than 50 pages long), it is packed with key information related specifically to woody plants indigenous to our beloved state. It begins with a quick Introduction to native Missouri trees, followed by a brief page or two on tree identification. The bulk of the book is dedicated to tree recognition by bark and grain, segregating softwoods from hardwoods. Softwoods get a few pages of attention, with the remainder devoted to hardwoods. There are great color photos throughout. A few that come to mind illustrate the pure, uniform wood of American Holly and Boxelder, contrasted with the bold, striking grain of Ash and White Oak. The Author's description of Sweetgum surprised me - he lists the Bootheel as a range where this can be found, yet these are all over St. Louis city and county. I mean, c'mon...who hasn't been challenged to navigate Sweetgum balls while walking through a yard or over a sidewalk around here?! A glossary of terms can be found on the last few pages.

I traveled to the Ozarks recently, around the Springfield/Branson area. This locale provides a great backdrop for many trees described in the book. The Introduction lists Missouri as a western boundary for the Central Hardwood Region of the United States. With nothing but sprawling hills and endless canopies in sight, it's easy to see how Missouri can boast of being one of the most forested states in the nation. Contemplating this scene, along with trees targeted during our garden tour, I couldn't help but think how trees can almost take on a persona of their own. I'm sure you've heard them referred to as majestic, and maybe even handsome? Certainly during the fall, adjectives such as beautiful and pretty are often spoken. On a darker note, trees also sustain injury much like we do. Wounds must be compartmentalized to seal over with new growth (they don't actually heal). I recall Skip describing a particular tree during our walk, how the underside of a branch "wept" a red streak of sap due to compressive forces. I guess they can even bleed as we do.

As I previously stated, there's really nothing new with this entry. But it's a colorful, concise package of information about prominent trees commercially available in our state. A quick read before you stroll around town, or perhaps hike further out on a nature trail or two, and you just might spot something you would have otherwise overlooked. This book will be available for checkout at the next general member meeting.