Book excerpt: Trees of the U.S. are easy-to-use regional field guides for backpacking, camping , and other outdoor activities For wilderness travelers and backyard naturalists alike, the sheer number and variety of North American trees can make identification a daunting task. For those who have struggled to distinguish the Pacific Yew from the Redwood or the Quaking Aspen from the Fremont Cottonwood comes Trees of the U.S., a user-friendly series of field guides. Ingeniously organized to allow for easy reference, each book in the series offers complete coverage of a given region of the United States and includes detailed and accurate illustrations of each species. Best of all, these guides are compact and lightweight, making them easy to throw in a pack and take along on a hike or camping trip.