Scottish forests protective forts for red squirrels
Twenty natural strongholds would protect red squirrels in Scotland even if grey squirrels were to run rampant across the country, a new study shows......»»
Flying foxes pollinate forests and spread seeds: Here"s how we can make peace with our noisy neighbors
Flying foxes. Megabats. Fruit bats. Whatever name you choose, these fox-faced creatures are remarkable. Our four species help pollinate eucalyptus trees in eastern Australia, spread the seeds of rainforest trees, and make our summer skies spectacular.....»»
Sika deer overpopulation endangers beech forests in Southern Kyushu, Japan
Kyushu University researchers have found that Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) in the forests of southern Kyushu have seen reduced growth, due to soil erosion caused by the overpopulation of sika deer (Cervus nippon). Their findings, which were publish.....»»
Diverse forests are best at standing up to storms, modeling study finds
European forests with a greater diversity of tree species are more resilient to storms, according to new research published in the journal Functional Ecology......»»
Researchers advocate for sustainable logging to safeguard against global flood risks
It's time to recognize the power of healthy forests in managing global growing flood risk, and to shift towards more sustainable forestry practices and policy......»»
Study finds no evidence for fractal scaling in canopy surfaces across a diverse range of forest types
The complexity of forests cannot be explained by simple mathematical rules, a study finds. The way trees grow together do not resemble how branches grow on a single tree, scientists have discovered......»»
Wildlife smoke may curb movement, sociability of woodpeckers
Human-driven climate change has helped transform many forests into kindling: A 2016 study found that greenhouse-aided warming and drought had more than doubled the area of fire-susceptible forest in the western U.S. since the mid-1980s. And of the Ca.....»»
New coffee snake species discovered in Ecuador"s cloud forests
Researchers of Khamai Foundation and Liberty University have discovered a new species of coffee snake endemic to the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador......»»
A new perspective on the temperature inside tropical forests
Tropical forests host up to half of the planet's biodiversity but up to now, ecological studies over tropical forests often relied on large scale datasets depicting open-air temperatures—that is, the temperature outside the forests, which can be se.....»»
Congo"s blackwater Ruki River is a major transporter of forest carbon, study shows
The Congo Basin of central Africa is well known for its network of rivers that drain a variety of landscapes, from dense tropical forests to more arid and wooded savannas. Among the Congo River's large tributaries, the Ruki is unique in its extremely.....»»
Prescribed burning could be making Aussie forests more flammable
Disturbing natural forests with activities such as logging and prescribed burning can make them more flammable, research from The Australian National University (ANU) and Curtin University has found. The research is published in the journal Biologica.....»»
Old forests critically important for slowing climate change, merit immediate protection from logging
Forests are an essential part of Earth's operating system. They reduce the buildup of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and land degradation by 30% each year. This slows global temperature incre.....»»
Vines strangle forests in warm temperatures, threaten planet"s cooling "carbon sink"
As Earth records its hottest year ever, a global research collaboration has found warmer temperatures are a key driver in woody vines taking over the world's forests—threatening their vital role in helping cool the atmosphere by storing carbon......»»
A nature-based solution to restore and adapt western US dry forests to climate change
Nature effectively "managed" forests through millennia of major climate changes and episodes of natural disturbances (e.g., wildfires, droughts, bark-beetle outbreaks), so why would nature not now be best able to restore and adapt forests to climate.....»»
AI-enabled bio-loggers capture rare bird behavior
For centuries, naturalists have braved trackless forests, windy clifftops, and the cramped confines of blinds and submarines, hoping to capture rare behaviors that might reveal important aspects of animal biology and ecology. Takuya Maekawa and colle.....»»
New game theory model taps power of cooperation to promote sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia
"Tropical forests are a critical resource," says Xavier Warnes, Ph.D. '21, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford Graduate School of Business. "They store huge amounts of carbon, they affect weather patterns and water systems, and they contain around.....»»
Wear and tear may cause firefighter gear to release more "forever chemicals"
Last year, a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) showed that the textiles used in protective clothing worn by firefighters often contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a class of chemicals that has been l.....»»
Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
Climate change is reshaping forests differently across the United States, according to a new analysis of U.S. Forest Service data. With rising temperatures, escalating droughts, wildfires, and disease outbreaks taking a toll on trees, researchers war.....»»
Fossil holdfasts show kelp far predate animals we see in kelp forests today
The unique underwater kelp forests that line the Pacific Coast support a varied ecosystem that was thought to have evolved along with the kelp over the past 14 million years......»»
Aircraft observations point to near neutral carbon dioxide exchange in northern tropical Africa
The forests and grasslands of northern tropical Africa take in about as much carbon dioxide in the wet season as they release in the dry season, according to a new study based on observations from aircraft. The findings contradict earlier research th.....»»
Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk
Nine new species of carnivorous land snails have been found in the remote forests of Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot. A new study describes the species, which are so small that all nine could fit together on a U.S. nickel......»»