Tree-based Methods for Statistical Learning in R provides a thorough introduction to both individual decision tree algorithms (Part I) and ensembles thereof (Part II). Part I of the book brings several different tree algorithms into focus, both conventional and contemporary. Building a strong foundation for how individual decision trees work will help readers better understand tree-based ensembles at a deeper level, which lie at the cutting edge of modern statistical and machine learning methodology.

The book follows up most ideas and mathematical concepts with code-based examples in the R statistical language; with an emphasis on using as few external packages as possible. For example, users will be exposed to writing their own random forest and gradient tree boosting functions using simple for loops and basic tree fitting software (like rpart and party/partykit), and more. The core chapters also end with a detailed section on relevant software in both R and other opensource alternatives (e.g., Python, Spark, and Julia), and example usage on real data sets. While the book mostly uses R, it is meant to be equally accessible and useful to non-R programmers.

Consumers of this book will have gained a solid foundation (and appreciation) for tree-based methods and how they can be used to solve practical problems and challenges data scientists often face in applied work.