Forest News

September 9, 2016

Largest Reforestation Program: Harm Wildlife?

Antelope Turned Ancient Forests Into Savannas

Climate Change's Effect On Drought More Minor

People Enhanced Environment Over 13,000 Years

Latest Headlines

updated 12:28am EDT

In Eastern Tibetan Forest, Signs of Tree Growth Amid Climate Change

Sep. 7, 2016 — Word of mouth from nomadic herders led Lucas Silva into Tibetan forests and grasslands. What his team found was startling: rapid forest growth in tune with what scientists ... read more

European Earthworms Decrease Species Diversity in North America

Sep. 6, 2016 — European earthworms invading the forests of North America are responsible for a decline in species diversity in the forest understory. Scientists have now been able to ... read more

During Drought, Dry Air Can Stress Plants More Than Dry Soil

Sep. 5, 2016 — Newly published research finds that low relative humidity in the atmosphere is a significant, growing and often under-appreciated cause of plant stress in hot, dry weather ... read more

When It Comes to Climate Change and Stream Flow, Plants Play an Important Role

Aug. 30, 2016 — In California's Sierra Nevada mountains, as more precipitation falls in the form of rain rather than snow, and the snowpack melts earlier in spring, ... read more

A Lost Century for Forest Elephants

Aug. 30, 2016 — Because forest elephants are one the slowest reproducing mammals in the world, it will take almost a century for them to recover from the intense poaching they have suffered since ... read more

Researchers Unravel Process for the Formation of Rainstorms

Aug. 29, 2016 — Violent thunderstorms can often cause torrential rain, which pose a threat for both humans and the infrastructure. Until now such extreme weather phenomena have been very ... read more

Amazon Forests: Biodiversity Can Help Mitigate Climate Risks

Aug. 29, 2016 — A forest with greater diversity of plants can better adjust to climatic stress. Now for the first time, a team of scientists can show this in computer simulations of the Amazon region by accounting ... read more

Forest and Watercourse Interplay Important for Restorations

Aug. 24, 2016 — Humans utilize forests and watercourses in a way that depletes ecosystem habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Many areas are restored to break the trend, but to ... read more

Logged Rainforests Can Be an 'Ark' for Mammals, Extensive Study Shows

Aug. 22, 2016 — Research reveals that large areas of 'degraded' forest in Southeast Asia can play an important role in conserving ... read more

Logging Can Decrease Water Infiltration Into Forest Soils, Study Finds

Aug. 17, 2016 — Logging operations can negatively affect soil density and water infiltration within forests, particularly along makeshift logging roads and landing areas where logs are ... read more

Should We Let Some Wildfires Burn?

Fires Sweep Across Bolivia

Downgraded Earl Lashes Belize

Group Clones Giant Trees to Fight Climate Change

Detecting Forest Fragility With Satellites

Sep. 5, 2016 — Over the past decades forests in different parts of the world have suffered sudden massive tree mortality. Now an international team of scientists has found a way to spot from satellite images which ... read more

Seawalls, Forests Show Mixed Effectiveness at Reducing Deaths, Damage from Tsunami

Aug. 19, 2016 — The Pacific coast of the Tohoku region has been struck by four large tsunamis in just over a century - in 1896, 1933, 1960 and 2011. Many critics claim that seawalls are detrimental because they ... read more

Reduced Ecosystem Functions in Oil Palm Plantations

Aug. 15, 2016 — Large areas of tropical lowland forests have been replaced by oil palm plantations, with major impact on environment and people. An interdisciplinary team of scientists has now performed a complete ... read more

Seawalls, Coastal Forests in Japan Help Reduce Tsunami Damage, Study Finds

Aug. 10, 2016 — Researchers who analyzed a history of tsunamis along the Pacific coast of Japan's Tohoku region have learned that seawalls higher than 5 meters reduce damage and death, while coastal forests ... read more

Many More Species at Risk from Southeast Asia Tree Plantations, Study Finds

Aug. 9, 2016 — As more of Southeast Asia's forests are cleared for tree plantations, a study finds that 42 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species endemic to the region's forests face a higher risk ... read more

Drought Conditions Slow the Growth of Douglas Fir Trees Across the West

Aug. 8, 2016 — Douglas fir trees are consistently sensitive to drought conditions that occur throughout the species' range in the United States, according to a ... read more

A Plant Present in Brazil Is Capable of Colonizing Deforested Areas

Aug. 8, 2016 — Researchers have studied the genetic diversity and differentiation patterns of the native pioneer understory tree Miconia affinis. They collected leaf tissue from approximately 30 reproductive trees ... read more

Early Snowmelt Reduces Forests' Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Uptake, Decreases Streamflow Volume

Aug. 3, 2016 — Earlier, slower snowmelt hinders a subalpine forest's ability to regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide and reduces streamflow, a phenomenon with potentially drastic consequences for agriculture, ... read more

Giant Forest Fires Exterminate Spotted Owls, Long-Term Study Finds

Aug. 2, 2016 — Could periodic forest thinning and prescribed burns intended to prevent dangerous "megafires" help conserve owls in the long run? Or are those benefits outweighed by their short-term harm ... read more

Trees on Farms: The Missing Link in Carbon Accounting

Aug. 2, 2016 — While tropical forests continued to decline, a remarkable change is happening: tree cover on agricultural land has increased across the globe, capturing nearly 0.75 Gigatonnes carbon dioxide every ... read more

Study: Bioenergy Decisions Involve Wildlife Habitat and Land Use Trade-Offs

Aug. 1, 2016 — New research finds that choosing how to meet bioenergy goals means making trade-offs about which wildlife species and ecosystems will be most impacted. The work focuses on the southeastern United ... read more

Life on the Edge: How Forest Fragmentation Is Impacting on Amphibian and Reptile Species

Aug. 1, 2016 — Experts call for new conservation guidelines after research shows 90% of tropical amphibian and reptile species are affected by the 'edge effect' and forest islands less than 500m in ... read more

Animal 'Roles' Could Provide Key to Accurate Forest Restoration Findings, Says New Study

July 29, 2016 — Replanting cleared forests can recover animal communities and important ecological processes relatively quickly, says a new study. But, warn the research team, the traditional way of evaluating such ... read more

Effects of Past Tropical Deforestation Will Be Felt for Years to Come

July 28, 2016 — Even if people completely stopped converting tropical forests into farmland, the impacts of tropical deforestation would continue to be felt for many years to come. That's the conclusion of ... read more

Forests, Species on Four Continents Threatened by Palm Oil Expansion

July 27, 2016 — As palm oil production expands from Southeast Asia into the Americas and Africa, vulnerable tropical forests and species on four continents face increased risk of loss, a new study finds. The largest ... read more

Rainforest Greener During 'Dry' Season

July 26, 2016 — At 2.7 million square miles, the Amazon Jungle is the world's largest rainforest. Researchers now believe the rainforest has different levels of photosynthesis, with more during the dry season. ... read more

Morel Mushroom Abundance After Wildfire

July 26, 2016 — Forest ecologists recently published research estimating the abundance of morel mushrooms after a wildfire in California's Sierra ... read more

Can't See the Wood for the Climbers: Vines Threatening Tropical Forests

July 22, 2016 — Woody climbing vines, known as lianas, are preventing tropical forests from recovering and are hampering the ability of forests to store carbon, scientists are warning. Instead of taking decades to ... read more

Trees' Surprising Role in the Boreal Water Cycle Quantified

July 21, 2016 — This is the first study to show that deciduous tree water uptake of snowmelt water represents a large but overlooked aspect of the water balance in boreal watersheds. For the boreal forest of Alaska ... read more

New Research Gleans Climate Change Insight from Lizard Genome

July 21, 2016 — Using genomic data from three lizard species, researchers gleaned insights not available before on the impact of climate change on the distribution of animal populations in South American forests. ... read more

Monday, September 5, 2016