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Forestry Reference Resources

Reference materials can often be used effectively as starting points in searching the scientific literature. Following are reference materials of interest to the forest scientist and manager. They are organized by category of reference material rather than subject. Resources marked with a are key resources or databases.

Literature Guides


These resources discuss the organization of research literature and list reference materials in forestry. In a sense this research guide fits this category. Listed below are more formal ones. For guides to forestry literature on the Internet see Forestry Internet Subject Directories and Portals.

  • Forestry and Forest Products (Johnson) IN Guide to Sources for Agricultural and Ecological Research (Blanchard & Farrell) 1981 (ref S 493 G85) Lists reference materials in forestry. Updated by Reference Collection Update (McDonald) IN Literature of Forestry and Agroforestry.
  • Literature of Forestry and Agroforestry (McDonald & Lossoie) 1996 (SD 387 D6 L58 1996)

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias


These resources provide definitions of discipline-specific terminology and/or general introductions to topics and concepts in forestry. Most encyclopedias include references to important references in the "primary" literature.

Directories


These resources are commonly alphabetical or subject listings of people, organizations, or products. In addition to those listed below many of the Forestry Internet Subject Directories and Portals include directories of agencies and organizations.

Scientific Reviews


Scientific reviews or "state-of-the-art" reviews critically survey a narrowly defined topic in a discipline. Review papers identify and evaluate research which has appeared in the "primary" literature and typically include extensive bibliographies. Scientific reviews typically appear in annual publications entitled "Annual review of ...", "Advances in ..."; and in journals, especially those which have "review" as part of the title. As part of a scholarly search strategy, review papers are an excellent "research tool" to use since they pull together information on the existing state of knowledge of a specific topic.

There are several ways to locate scientific reviews:

  1. Many annual review series have cumulative indexes.
  2. Individual review papers are commonly included in indexes. Create a search using the keyword "review" as part of your search strategy.
  3. The 39 titles in the "Annual Review of ..." publication series can be browsed or searched by keyword as far back as 1930.

Annual reviews of interest in forestry include the following. Use the Journal and Newspaper Finder for determine location and format.

  • Advances in Agronomy
  • Advances in Ecological Research
  • Advances in Soil Sciences
  • Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics
  • Annual Review of Entomology
  • Annual Review of Phytopathology
  • Annual Review of Plant Physiology
  • Critical Reviews in Plant Science

Literature Databases and Bibliographies


Bibliographies are compiled lists of literature references which gather together known research on a specific topic. They are generally more useful for retrospective rather than current literature. There are many specialized bibliographies in forestry. In the HSU Library Catalog, a keyword search can be done using the word "bibliography" and a subject or taxonomic keyword. As part of a search strategy, a bibliography that someone else has produced saves you from having to use other "research tools" to identify literature in a specific topic.

Comprehensive Works and Databases


These are more exhaustive works or databases that either contain extensive information or summarize the state of knowledge of broad topics in forestry. These tend to be broader in scope than "scientific reviews" and are well documented with frequent references to important "primary" literature.

Species Accounts/Life History Information


Species accounts typically include natural history and life history information on individual species. Topics frequently covered include description, taxonomy, distribution, life history, habitat, status, and management considerations.

Taxonomic Works: Keys, Checklists, Field Guides

Handbooks and Manuals


Handbooks commonly contain data and descriptive information compiled from the "primary" literature and organized into tables or articles. Many basic and factual questions in the discipline can be answered from handbooks. Manuals usually contain procedures for experimental analysis in the field or laboratory.

Laws and Regulations

Geospatial Resources: Atlases, Maps, GIS, Imagery


For a more general guide to print and digital geospatial resources available in the HSU Library or on the Internet see Geospatial Resources.

Graphics and Images

Environmental Reviews, Assessments, & Plans


Environmental reviews typicaly contain an analysis of environmental issues with accompanying statistical data. Following are those of direct interest to forestry. For more encompassing reviews see the Environmental Reviews listed in the HSU Library Environmental Science research guide.

Statistical and Data Compilations