Our purpose

This wiki about trees will try to put into clearer perspective some items of history, importance, administration, and outlook about trees that so far have been in scattered form.

This wiki will try to tell the essentials of choosing, planting, and growing trees as a farm crop, as a renewable national treasure, as a necessary part of country and city life.

We will try to make a wiki that is practical and useful for all Americans and interesting and inspiring for those who are unaware of the beauty and delight of the woods. We will try to tell how and why to plant trees and care for them, and to offer a sort of forum to persons of divergent viewpoints, with all of which we do not necessarily agree.

We hope you'll let us know if we have been successful. You are also welcome to contribute.

Organization

A word about the organization of the material in this trees wiki. We consider first the tree as a unit, a living thing; next, the tree as a member of a small group—in cities and around homes; finally, trees growing together in wood lots, groves, and forests, large and small. The main section of the wiki will include sections on specific problems and values—insects, fire, recreation, wildlife, forestry, and economic importance.

The last part is intended to furnish additional help—lists, charts, tables, a glossary of unusual terms, and references for reading—for those who wish to pursue the subject further. For many persons the fourth section will be the most useful of all.

Live oak near Hahnville in Louisiana: "I am the gift of God and friend of man."