A researcher from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew bends over his notes while hunting for beech acorns in Romania.Thomas Freeth / Courtesy of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Last fall, I invited a stranger into my yard.
Manzanita, with its peeling red bark and delicate pitcher-shaped blossoms, thrives on the dry, rocky ridges of Northern California. The small, evergreen tree or
Walking barefoot down a muddy trail with a group of people I’d met the day before and attempting to ‘connect with trees’ was not how I expected to be spending a chilly Saturday afternoon in the middle of March.
Living in central London means you don’t get to spend a great deal of time in nature – expansive grassy fields and ancient woodlands are few and far between.
But, one wellness retreat in the Welsh side of the picturesque Wye
After trudging upslope for weeks, a giant tortoise slows its hundreds of cumbersome kilograms to a stop. Dense woods defended by barbed wire–like blackberry bushes block its path. After a brief foray into the painful prickles, the tortoise backs out and plods on, searching for a way out of the woods.
These blackberry-lined forests of Spanish cedar trees (Cedrela odorata) are invasive in the tortoise’s island home in the Galápagos. If they can, these titanic turtles stay clear
The tragic felling of the 300-year-old Sycamore Gap next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland sparked fury across the country.
A teenage boy who was arrested was released on bail as millions mourned the loss of the tree, which featured in 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and was one of the most photographed trees in the world.
Sycamore Gap joins a huge list of loved and significant trees which have been cut down throughout history.
In 1892, the famous
Your first taste of a ripe pawpaw or persimmon can leave you hungry for more. That’s why Michael Judd is confident that he can persuade you to make room for several of these trees in your front yard — or even to surrender your lawn altogether.
Turning your yard into a meadow or blanketing it in an expanse of alternative ground covers aren’t the only ecologically viable options for replacing conventional grass.
Mr. Judd, an edible landscape designer and permaculturist,
According to an old Greek Proverb, a society grows great when old men plant trees in the shade of which they shall never sit.
While I would tweak this slightly to read men *and women*, the sentiment remains just as relevant – if not more so- today.
And these are clearly words that Ferdinand Jolly lives by.
At a time when bigger was seen as better when it comes to fields, the farmer in Ittre, some 40 minutes
A farmer in Niger tends to a tree sprout growing among his millet crop.Tony Rinaudo/World Vision Australia
This story was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
For decades, there have been reports of the deforestation in Africa. And they are true—the continent’s forests are disappearing, lost mainly to expanding agriculture, logging, and charcoal-making. But the trees? Maybe not, according to new satellite data analyzed by artificial intelligence and
Fifty-three million years ago, the Earth was much warmer than it is today. Even the Arctic Ocean was a balmy 50 °F—an almost-tropical environment that looked something like Florida, complete with swaying palm trees and roving crocodiles.
Then the world seemed to pivot. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere plummeted, and things began to cool toward today’s “icehouse” conditions, meaning that glaciers can persist well beyond the poles.
What caused the change was, for decades, unclear. Eventually, scientists drilling … Read more
Microbial stress can be a boon for young trees.
Saplings grown in soil microbes that have experienced drought, cold or heat are more likely to survive when faced with those same conditions, researchers report in the May 26 Science. And follow-up tests suggest that the microbes’ protective relationship with trees may linger beyond initial planting.
The team’s findings could aid massive tree planting efforts by giving new saplings the best chance of survival over the long run, says Ian
A third of heat-related deaths in Europe could have been prevented by increasing tree coverage by 30%, a recent study has found, putting an exact number on the impact that green urban planning can have on citizens.
This summer’s breeze was not as refreshing as usual. With heatwaves across Europe, staying in cities not built for record-high temperatures was not easy.
Streets covered with tarmac and building materials absorbing and trapping heat with no green spaces make urban environments especially
