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......»»
RocketLab’s first North American launch set for Sunday
After delays, company is set for a 6 pm US Eastern launch of a small satellite. Enlarge / The Electron rocket, covered in while protective material, on its side on its launch pad on Wallops Island. (credit: John Timmer).....»»
Bird diversity increased in severely burned forests of southern Appalachian mountains
A new study found bird diversity increased in North Carolina mountain forest areas severely burned by wildfire in 2016, reinforcing that while wildfire can pose risks to safety and property, it can be beneficial to wildlife. The study results could h.....»»
Timber demand could help save forests
A recent study found that increasing global demand for timber products, as well as paying landowners to store carbon in their trees, could help to dramatically increase the amount of forestland around the world......»»
New study finds logged tropical forests are surprisingly vibrant and need protection
Logging affects many of the world's tropical forests, and such forests are often considered degraded because they have lost vegetation structure, biomass and carbon stocks. But there has rarely been analysis of whether the ecological health and funct.....»»
Growth of forests may have contributed to extinction of large mammals in Central Europe 11,000 years ago
Herds of megafauna, such as mammoth and bison, have roamed the prehistoric plains in what is today's Central Europe for several tens of thousands of years. As woodland expanded at the end of the last Ice Age, the numbers of these animals declined, an.....»»
Warming seas" negative impact on giant kelp starts in early life, says study
Rising ocean temperatures are driving deterioration of kelp forests worldwide, but a University of Otago study hopes to help turn the tide and restore the valuable habitats......»»
Arctic Sweden in race for Europe"s satellite launches
As the mercury drops to minus 20 Celsius, a research rocket lifts off from one of the world's northernmost space centres, its burner aglow in the twilight of Sweden's snowy Arctic forests......»»
Forest wildflowers and their overstory trees are changing with climate, but not always keeping pace
For spring ephemerals, timing is everything. These special wildflowers grow in temperate forests around the world, early in spring before the trees leaf out. Come out too early and it's still winter, too late and it's too shady under the forest canop.....»»
Climate change in the forests of northern Germany: Team finds widespread drought stress in European beech
More and more trees are suffering the consequences of decades of manmade climate change. The growth of the European beech has so far suffered decline mainly in southern Europe. European beech is Germany's most important native forest tree species, an.....»»
Climate change supercharges threat from forest-eating bug
Deep in the Finnish woods, the moss and blueberry shrubs hide a deadly threat to the boreal forests that are as important to the planet as the Amazon rainforest......»»
New potential target proteins for novel antibiotics discovered
Bacteria are small but tough organisms, partly because their cells are enclosed by a protective cell wall skeleton. Professor Felipe Cava and his team at Umeå University in Sweden and collaborators at Harvard Medical School in the U.S., have discove.....»»
Study discovers microbial communities shift while a coral "sleeps" through the winter
As winter approaches, many species of animals—from bears and squirrels to parasitic wasps and a few lucky humans—hunker down for some needed rest. The northern star coral (Astrangia poculata) also enters a hibernating state of dormancy, or quiesc.....»»
Individual tree-based model constructed for multiscale forest carbon dynamics prediction
Forests contribute an enormous carbon flux to terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, accurate estimation and prediction of forest dynamics both play an important role in understanding the carbon cycle in the background of global change. Process-based ecologic.....»»
Major fires an increasing risk as the air gets thirstier, research shows
Greater atmospheric demand for water means a dramatic increase in the risk of major fires in global forests unless we take urgent and effective climate action, new research finds......»»
Squirrel sperm and feet tell a different climate change story
Perhaps it's time to replace the canary in a coal mine metaphor with a squirrel in the ground. Because two University of Manitoba studies found that climate change is altering ground squirrels' sperm and feet, and this warns of big consequences poten.....»»
Forests found to benefit from tree species variety and genetic diversity
Reforestation projects should include a variety of tree species and ensure genetic diversity within each species to maximize new forests' health and productivity, suggests a study published today in eLife......»»
Researchers reveal how extinct Steller"s sea cow shaped kelp forests
For millions of years, the Steller's sea cow, a four-ton marine mammal and relative of the manatee, shaped kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America by eating massive quantities of kelp fronds from the upper canopies, thus allowing light.....»»
A Burned Redwood Forest Tells a Story of Climate Change, Past, Present and Future
From the ashes of the giants of Big Basin Redwoods State Park arise a history of fire suppression and real questions about what happens to the forests in a drought-stricken West Coast going forward......»»
Animals are key to restoring the world"s forests, long-term data set reveals
As UN climate talks close in Egypt and biodiversity talks begin in Montreal, attention is on forest restoration as a solution to the twin issues roiling our planet. Forests soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide and simultaneously create habitat for orga.....»»
Brazil"s New President Vows to Save Amazon Forests
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he’ll stop illegal destruction of rain forests allowed under former president Jair Bolsonaro. Will Brazilians support him?.....»»