Field guide to shrubs of Northwest forests

By Denise

On your next hike, instead of puzzling over the name of that large upright shrub with tiny white flowers and small red fruits, reach for the new field guide "Shrubs to Know in Pacific Northwest Forests" to quickly identify it as the native red elderberry.

Ed Jensen, a professor in Oregon State University's College of Forestry, authored the full-color, easy-to-use field guide for the OSU Extension Service.

The soft-cover, glossy book, available at http://bit.ly/OSU_ShrubstoKnow, describes nearly 100 different shrubs native to Pacific Northwest forests. It is useful to hikers and plant enthusiasts in Oregon, Washington, northern California, southern British Columbia, the panhandle of Idaho and adjoining parts of western Montana. It features 500 color photographs, an illustrated glossary of shrub terms, individual range maps and complete descriptions for each shrub species. It took Jensen about five years to research, write and photograph all the shrubs for the guide, which was published and designed by OSU's Extension and Experiment Station Communications department.

The new guide is a companion to his popular "Trees to Know in Oregon" book, originally authored in 1950 by former OSU Extension forester Charles R. Ross. Under Jensen's authorship, "Trees to Know" has undergone several major enhancements and revisions, including the addition of color photos in 2005 and the publication of a 60th anniversary edition in 2010. It has always been one of the most requested publications in the OSU Extension catalog.

"I meet people from all around the state who tell me that 'Trees to Know' helped launch their interest in Oregon's trees and forests," Jensen said. "I think it helps people develop a relationship with the forest when they get to know individual trees. I hope 'Shrubs to Know' will have that same impact."

Jensen teaches courses on tree and shrub identification and runs natural resource education programs at OSU. For about 10 years he served as director of two large continuing education programs for field-based natural resource specialists – the Silviculture Institute and the Natural Resources Institute.

You can meet Jensen at two upcoming public book signings set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Holiday Craft Fair at the West Linn Lutheran Church and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Authors and Artists Fair at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene.

The book costs $12, plus shipping and handling, and may be ordered from the OSU Extension catalog at http://bit.ly/OSU_ShrubstoKnow or by calling 1-800-561-6719.

Image above: Photo by Ed Jensen. The birchleaf mountain-mahogany shrub is one of approximately 100 native shrubs described in "Shrubs to Know in the Pacific Northwest," a new book authored by Ed Jensen, a professor in Oregon State University's College of Forestry, and published by the Oregon State University Extension Service.