A study from the University of Surrey has provided a comprehensive guide on which tree species are best for combatting air pollution that originates from our roads — along with suggestions for how to plant these green barriers to get the best results. In a paper published today (March 26, […]
This illustration shows the impact of storm surge on coastal infrastructure and people with and without mangrove forests. Credit: © World Bank and Punto Aparte ENLARGE The natural coastal defenses provided by mangrove forests reduce annual flooding significantly in critical hotspots around the world. Without mangroves, flood damages would increase […]
A pristine mangrove forest dominated by Rhizophora mucronata at Lampi Island in Tanintharyi region, Myanmar. Credit: Dr Maung Maung Than Mangroves account for only 0.7% of the Earth’s tropical forest area, but they are among the world’s most productive and important ecosystems. They provide a wealth of ecological and socio-economic […]
Credit: Shutterstock As the brutal reality of climate change dawned this summer, you may have asked yourself a hard question: am I well-prepared to live in a warmer world? There are many ways we can ready ourselves for climate change. I’m an urban forestry scientist, and since the 1980s I’ve […]
Ginkgo leaves in autumn GETTY IMAGES Scientists have discovered the secret of how the ginkgo tree can live for more than 1,000 years. A study found the tree makes protective chemicals that fend off diseases and drought. And, unlike many other plants, its genes are not programmed to trigger inexorable […]
An Archaeopteris root system at the Cairo fossil forest site CHARLES VER STRAETEN The earliest fossilised trees, dating back 386 million years, have been found at an abandoned quarry in New York. Scientists believe the forest they belonged to was so vast it originally stretched beyond Pennsylvania. This discovery in […]
Representative potted Abies fraseri and inoculated apples used to test Koch’s Postulates. Credit: De-Wei Li, Neil P. Schultes, James A. LaMondia, and Richard S. Cowles Grown as Christmas trees, Fraser firs are highly prized for their rich color and pleasant scent as well as their ability to hold their needles. […]
The mighty elm once dominated the skyline KAREN RUSSELL The elm tree can return to the British countryside, given a helping hand, according to a new report. More than 20 million trees died during the 1960s and 1970s from Dutch elm disease. In the aftermath, the elm was largely forgotten, […]
Ash dieback has devastated trees across Europe SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Scientists say there is new hope in the fight against a disease that is devastating ash trees. A study has identified the genes that give trees resistance to ash dieback, which arrived in the UK in 2012 and has now spread […]
The chambers attached to trees were used to measure the greenhouse gas N2O emissions in this study. Credit: Mari Pihlatie A recently published study, completed by researchers from the University of Helsinki together with Dr Katerina Machacova, a visiting scholar, demonstrates that boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere are sources […]