The field notebooks in this collection are a record of the work Braun did that ultimately led to her publication of Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America. They are divided into two sets: her "Deciduous Forest Notebooks," which cover her explorations throughout the region, and her "Kentucky Notebooks." The field notebooks are full of details regarding dates and locations of Braun's excursions, the routes she took, the plants she discovered and other observations about the forests that she believed to be important.

Also included are card files of various references, which include deciduous forest literature and plant distribution maps. Braun also compiled her notebook information into the file "Forest Composition,” which gives the percentage composition of the tree species in the areas she studied.