Forest giants of the Pacific Coast. (Reviews).

Forest giants of the Pacific Coast by Robert Van Pelt.

$35.00. University of Washington Press, 2001.

More than 200 color maps and illustrations of the 20 largest Pacific Coast tree species provide the context for this book about 117 specific "forest giants." Information on individual giant trees include details on height, diameter, volume, and its number of "points" from AMERICAN FORESTS' formula for crowning national champion trees. Each features a superb line sketch and photograph, as well as a brief description of its history, tales of discovery, and anecdotes about its naming and unique characteristics.

The book is organized by the featured species, and a brief description and full-color range map locate each identified giant. An especially appealing feature is a plate with reduced versions of the individual line sketches side-by-side, enabling the reader to compare size and form.

The Preface, in which Van Pelt explains his fascination with big trees of the Pacific Coast, is as intriguing as the book itself. From a personally assembled database of more than 5,000 trees, Van Pelt tracked down each giant featured in his book.

"This book is not about the largest trees on the Pacific Coast," he says, "just the largest known trees..." Herein is the lure of this handsome book. Every map offers the possibility of treasure, hidden wealth that could yield a new giant, according to Van Pelt. There's a nomination form in the Appendix so you can submit your discovery for the next edition.

"Hunting giant trees is a great adventure," Van Pelt promises, "and I have had many while working on this book."