North Central Research Station Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Paul Johnson, retired master North Central Research Station silviculturalist collaborated with Stephen Shifley and Robert Rogers to write the Ecology and Silviculture of Oaks.

"I guess you'd say that from a silvicultural point of view, our book is really the first one to comprehensively deal with the subject of oak forests," said Paul Johnson. Johnson added that the book's emphasis on ecology also makes it different from most books on silviculture.

"There is this enormous body of literature on oak ecology and silviculture, and it's scattered all over the library in various types of publications... For many foresters and land managers, it's difficult first of all to find these things and secondly to read them all and synthesize them. That was the goal at the outset for writing the book, to bring together all this literature and compile it into a rather comprehensive synthesis," says Paul Johnson. That lack of synthesis has often led to the reinvention of the wheel when it comes to oak management and recovery", Johnson says. "When we went into the field to talk to foresters, many were unaware of the existence of a lot of this information."

The book begins by classifying oak ecosystems, describing ecosystems as they vary by region. The authors then delve into such topics as regeneration ecology, development of natural stands, and silvicultural methods for oak stands of different types. The book differentiates among various oak ecosystems because they vary widely in their response to management practices, often more so than other types of forests.

Ordering information

The Ecology and Silviculture of Oaks may be special ordered through local bookstores, is available through online retailers, or may be ordered from:

Oxford University Press
2001 Evans Road
Cary, NC 27513
Tel: 1-800-451-7556
Fax: 1-919-677-1303
Email: orders@oup-usa.org

List price: $149 + shipping (available at 25% discount through March 31, 2003 when reference 23162 is quoted when ordering through Oxford University Press)

Shipping: $4.50 for first book, $2.00 for each additional book, NC and CA residents must add sales tax.

Save $37 per copy when you order through Oxford University Press by March 31, 2003. Be sure to quote reference 23162 to receive the 25% discount.