Poplar DNA code cracked - a step in combating global warming?
Ghent - Forests cover 30% of the world's land area, house two thirds of life on earth, and are responsible for 90% of the biomass on dry land. So, the impact of trees on our daily life is enormous. Now, an international consortium - which includes researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) at Ghent University -... view more... (2004-09-22)
A Chilling Solution: Measuring Below-ground Carbon Without Destroying Trees
USDA Forest Service (FS) researchers have provided the first proof of concept for a method that allows scientists to study below-ground carbon allocation in trees without destroying them. view more (2006-12-06)
Seeing the wood for the trees: research reveals the survival secrets of forest trees
Species extinction or `biodiversity loss` has accelerated at an alarming rate over the past century. Although much of the blame has been laid at the door of human activity, biologists are looking at the factors that influence how species-particularly similar species-co-exist, in their efforts to better understand how the balance of species can be... view more... (2002-05-30)
Dinsaurrific!
The most comprehensive picture yet of how dinosaurs evolved has been produced by a team at Bristol University. More than 1,000 species of dinosaurs have been named since the first skeletons were dug up in the 19th century, and unravelling their patterns of evolution has been a major area of research. Since 1980, over 150 evolutionary trees of... view more... (2002-04-26)
Why don't kids walk to school anymore?
Maybe when we were their age, we walked five miles to school, rain or shine. So why don't most children today walk or bike to school? view more (2008-03-27)
Study: Lizards bask for more than warmth
Keeping warm isn't the only reason lizards and other cold-blooded critters bask in the sun. According to a study published in the May/June issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, chameleons alter their sunbathing behavior based on their need for vitamin D. view more (2009-04-21)
Rogue trees get criminal treatment from scientists
Rogue trees are being ‘fingered’ by gene detectives using a well-known technique to catch criminals. Newcastle University scientists are using DNA fingerprinting to help insurers identify trees that are causing houses to subside. Often disputes can last for several years, as when two trees of the same kind grow in an area it is very... view more... (2002-08-27)
Traditional Christmas snack under threat
An international group of scientists is warning that the traditional Christmas snack of Brazil nuts could be under threat if intensive harvesting practices continue in persistently exploited areas. Writing in this week's edition of the international journal Science (19 December 2003) the main author of the report, Dr Carlos Peres of the... view more... (2003-12-16)
Great tits can reduce caterpillar damage in apple orchards
The potential contribution of vertebrate predators to biological control in orchards has been largely overlooked to date. A few studies have shown that birds reduce numbers of pests, but data are scarce on the effects on the pattern or timing of damage. Consequently, the practical value of birds as biocontrol agents remains unclear. view more (2002-11-26)
MIT team describes unique cloud forest
Trees that live in an odd desert forest in Oman have found an unusual way to water themselves by extracting moisture from low-lying clouds, MIT scientists report. view more (2006-09-15)
Forest fires a real concern for areas hit hard by hurricanes
Scientists from the Pacific Northwest will help forest managers in the Southeast quickly measure fuel loads across extensive areas of hurricane-damaged forests, the first step in deciding where to remove downed trees in order to prevent devastating wildfires from inflicting even more damage to hurricane ravaged areas in the Southeast. view more (2006-09-01)
Complex dynamics underlie bark beetle eruptions
Forest management that favors single tree species and climate change are just two of the critical factors making forests throughout western North America more susceptible to infestation by bark beetles, according to an article published in the June 2008 BioScience. view more (2008-06-02)
Extinction most likely for rare trees in the Amazon rainforest
Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction rates of up to 50 percent, predict Smithsonian scientists and colleagues in the Aug. 12 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. view more (2008-08-14)
Forests damaged by Katrina may contribute to global warming
Researchers led by biologist Jeffrey Chambers of Tulane University have determined that the losses inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast forest trees are enough to cancel out a year's worth of new tree biomass (trunks, branches and foliage) growth in other parts of the country. view more (2007-11-16)
Important gene controlling tree growth and development found
Scientists at the UmeĆå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) report today about a breakthrough in our understanding of how the growth and development of forest trees is controlled. view more (2006-05-05)
Trees to offset the carbon footprint?
How effective are new trees in offsetting the carbon footprint? A new study suggests that the location of the new trees is an important factor when considering such carbon offset projects. Planting and preserving forests in the tropics is more likely to slow down global warming. view more (2007-04-10)
Mode of seed dispersal greatly shapes placement of rainforest trees
The apple might not fall far from the tree, but new research shows that how it falls might be what is most important in determining tree distribution across a forest. This study of the seed dispersal methods of rainforest trees demonstrates that these methods play a primary role in the organization of plant species in tropical forests. view more (2006-11-29)
Understanding natural crop defenses
Ever since insects developed a taste for vegetation, plants have faced the same dilemma: use limited resources to out-compete their neighbors for light to grow, or, invest directly in defense against hungry insects. view more (2009-03-02)
Graduates Blow Away Judges To Pick Up Major Design Award
Three Kingston University graduates have won the coveted John Gillard Award from Britain's leading design and art directors' organisation, the D&AD. Amy Doherty, Poppy Stedman and Sam Stephens topped the best new blood category with their book of tree drawings. It is the third consecutive year that Kingston design students have carried off the... view more... (2004-12-06)
MIT: Preventing forest fires with tree power
MIT researchers and colleagues are working to find out whether energy from trees can power a network of sensors to prevent spreading forest fires. view more (2008-09-22)
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