trees

Trees Drill into Deep Bedrock for Water Surprisingly Often

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Naturalists have long noted isolated examples of tree roots boring far down through loose soil and into the unforgiving bedrock below—rare incursions that were deemed a mere curiosity. But in 2013 hydrologist Daniella Rempe probed deep into a northern California hillside and found tree roots extracting substantial amounts of moisture from pores and crannies in … Read more

Trees Have the Potential to Live Indefinitely

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Your Christmas tree is dead or dying. But some conifers and other trees theoretically could live forever, according to a recent essay that reviews accumulating evidence on extremely long-lived trees—and calls for more scientifically rigorous methods to determine their age and study their longevity. Across the board, trees do not die so much as they … Read more

Deforestation: Outdoor workers are losing hours due to overheating caused by lack of trees

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Forests have a localised cooling effect, and in tropical areas where deforestation has occurred, outdoor workers are now feeling the heat more Environment 17 December 2021 By Carissa Wong Areas of forest that have been cleared for oil palm plantations in Indonesia HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Deforestation in tropical regions of Asia, Africa and the Americas has … Read more

Tweaks to U.S. Christmas Trees Could Help Them Survive Climate Change

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Mounting pressure from extreme weather events and lethal diseases—both exacerbated by climate change—threatens to assail U.S. Christmas tree–growing regions and slash production. To help defend these cherished trees and the farms that raise them, researchers are mapping conifer genomes and exploiting the natural characteristics of species that grow outside the U.S. to identify and breed … Read more

Oak processionary moth: Tougher action needed to stop tree-killing insect in UK

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Seven years of concerted action to slow the spread of oak processionary moth have failed to stop its consistent outward expansion from London Environment 16 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea) on a tree trunk in Germany blickwinkel/Hecker/Alamy Tougher action will be needed to stop a caterpillar threatening … Read more

Impossible Foods in talks with UK farmers to swap livestock for trees

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Exclusive: CEO of plant-based “meat” firm plans to show economic and climate change benefits of planting trees on land used for cattle and sheep production Environment 2 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Pat Brown with Impossible Foods’ plant-based burger ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images The chief executive of Impossible Foods is in talks with UK … Read more