Description
Title: Plants of the Western Forest: Alberta, Saskatchewan & Manitoba — Boreal and Aspen Parkland
Authors: Derek Johnson, Linda Kershaw, Andy MacKinnon, Jim Pojar
Publisher: Lone Pine / Partners Publishing
Edition: Third edition (trade paperback, 2020)
Pages: ~392
Plants of the Western Forest is a richly illustrated field guide designed for people interested in exploring the boreal and aspen parkland regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba—and in its broader editions, extending into regions from Alaska to Minnesota.
This guide brings together over 620 species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, ferns, mosses, and lichens. Each plant is documented with detailed, clear descriptions and supported by visual aids: more than 800 full-colour photographs and almost 900 line drawings.
Identification is made easier through a “colour photo guide to wildflowers” and user-friendly species descriptions, which include habitat, distinguishing traits, and morphological details that help differentiate similar species.
Beyond morphology, the book includes informative notes on edible uses, native/Indigenous uses of plants, and the origins of plant names—adding cultural and historical context to the botanical descriptions.
Ecologically, this field guide goes beyond political boundaries: while many plant books are organized by province or state, Plants of the Western Forest is organized by ecological and climatic regions, with emphasis on the boreal and aspen parkland ecoregions. This makes it especially helpful for understanding how plants are distributed in relation to ecosystems and environmental gradients rather than just administrative regions.
