Jacob Joshua Levison

Born in 1881, Jacob Joshua Levison was a forester and tree specialist whose writing focused on helping ordinary readers understand trees, their structure, and their care.

Sources available here consistently connect him with Yale's forest school and with public forestry work in Brooklyn, where he served in parks-related forestry roles. He is also associated with early work in American forestry and with teaching about ornamental and shade trees.

Levison is best remembered as the author of Studies of Trees, a practical guide aimed at beginners. Rather than writing for specialists alone, he explained how to identify trees and understand their uses in a clear, useful way, which is part of why his work has remained in circulation through public-domain and audiobook editions.