John Salmon's life-long love for New Zealand's wilderness places gave him a deep understanding of the implications of environmental conservation. As Professor of Zoology and later Dean of the Science Faculty at Victoria University, his views on the importance of conservation and ecology proved an inspiration to many of his students. When John Salmon died he left a legacy matched by few other New Zealanders. From his first books, published in the early 1960s, to his ground-breaking The Native Trees of New Zealand, John Salmon has been a staunch defender of our natural heritage. He was assisted by his wife Pam in the completion of the two volumes of Exotic Trees.