Articles tagged with Forestry
A study by Colorado State University and others found that fast-moving forest fires burn more area severely, leaving fewer trees to reseed the landscape. This can lead to long-term ecological change rather than recovery.
A study found that tree felling caused more harm to residual trees than extraction, which harmed seedlings. Most damage was mild, but routine harvesting may weaken regeneration and future forest development. The findings suggest improved practices for sustainable timber production in Nepal's managed Sal forests.
A new study reveals that tree felling mainly damages the crowns of remaining mature trees, while timber extraction threatens young seedlings. The research highlights practical opportunities to reduce ecological damage during logging by better planning and operator training.
Research team identifies best strategies for managing native cacao trees in Peru, resulting in 59% higher yields after three years. Grafting native 'Blanco de Piura' cacao varieties onto fully grown trees increases productivity levels comparable to commercial clones.
Pastoral communities in Tiaty, Kenya, are adapting to climate variability by changing livestock patterns, farming practices, and settlement arrangements. These adaptations suggest a selective conversion of land from dense shrubland to mixed areas, with a focus on drought-tolerant crops and climate-resilient livestock species.
A new study found that unwritten social rules in small societies play a crucial role in regulating land use and maintaining forest regeneration sustainably. The research suggests that these norms can reduce the total amount of land cleared and promote biodiversity when used in moderation.
A new study found that prescribed burns reduced giant sequoia mortality by 77% and increased survival chances fourfold during the 2020 and 2021 Sierra Nevada wildfires. The research integrated remote sensing data to quantify pre-fire fuel structures and estimate wildfire outcomes for over 26,400 trees.
A new study from the University of Washington highlights the potential consequences of losing roadless protections on rivers and drinking water supply. The study found that over 80,000 miles of rivers receive some protection from the rule, reaching 25 million people across the country.
Planted forests in China experience more frequent flash droughts than natural forests, averaging 7.05 events every five years. In contrast, natural forests face more slow droughts, with a 12% lower risk of prolonged droughts.
A new study uses machine learning to map tree density across Canada, the US, and Mexico, revealing regional patterns and estimated 339-514 billion trees, lower than previous estimates. The study also highlights the importance of forest definitions and tree-size thresholds in estimating tree abundance.
A new study evaluates four strategies for projecting tree diameters for rare species, finding that approaches incorporating species-level information produce more precise predictions. The researchers suggest a hybrid data grouping method with mixed modeling as particularly useful.
Researchers unveil a rigorous framework to fix global forest carbon credit systems, addressing methodological defects and promoting biodiversity conservation. The new standards aim to produce high-integrity climate assets while safeguarding community interests.
Landsat 10 will process up to 1.8 gigabits of compressed data per second, capturing detailed images of the Earth's surface with unmatched radiometric precision. SwRI is developing control technology and operational simulators to regulate instrument temperature and position camera mirrors.
A study reveals how tree crown structure affects competitive interactions in forests, with light-demanding species experiencing slowed growth near neighboring trees with different crowns. Shade-tolerant species show more flexible crown forms and are limited by nearby conspecifics, aligning with the Janzen Connell hypothesis.
A new study by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences reveals that reforestation has varying effects on water resources under different warming scenarios. Under low-warming conditions, reforestation slightly increases global water but widens the gap between wet and dry regions. In contr...
A €6 million EU Horizon project is building Europe's first platform to coordinate a response to devastating agricultural and forest pest invasions. Plant health authorities will be able to model and optimise pest control strategies across the entire agri-value chain.
A study by researchers at the University of Minnesota found that improving land use and management can increase both economic output and environmental performance, without sacrificing one for the other. The analysis showed potential gains in biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and economic development, with possible increases of o...
Mangrove forests worldwide are no longer in net decline and are now growing overall, driven by natural regeneration and expansion. The research highlights a more hopeful trajectory for these ecosystems, which play a critical role in protecting coastlines and storing climate-warming carbon.
Global wildfire activity in 2025 resulted in destructive and deadly fire events, with 335 million hectares burned globally - 16% below the long-term average. The fires accounted for 38% of all insured natural hazard losses, with Canada experiencing its third consecutive year of extreme fire activity.
Soil animal communities exhibit greater trophic diversity in agricultural systems and tropical regions, driven by resource limitation and disturbance. This flexibility helps maintain soil functions but may reflect the loss of specialized species.
Researchers at John Innes Centre develop rapid seed germination protocol, reducing Ash dieback's impact. This new method has already produced over 2,000 seedlings for trials and research.
The SWIFTT platform uses Copernicus Sentinel satellite data and machine learning models to identify tree health changes, detect anomalies, and predict threats like spruce bark beetle outbreaks and wildfires. Foresters can access timely alerts, prioritize inspections, and coordinate clearing of dead wood to protect forests.
Researchers found that post-fire seedling establishment remained strong across key commercial species, Scots pine and birch, after combining prescribed burning with tree retention. Natural tree regeneration met or exceeded commercial standards, supporting biodiversity goals with sustainable forest management.
Mississippi State University researchers have developed an updated version of the Forest Valuation and Investment Analysis software program, known as FORVAL-XL, built specifically for Microsoft Excel. The new version includes features such as discounted cash-flow results, sensitivity analyses, and easy-to-read tables and graphs to supp...
Researchers propose using terrain to deter conflict while delivering environmental benefits through restored forests, wetlands, and peatlands. These interventions support carbon storage, flood mitigation, and biodiversity recovery, acting as a form of deterrence by denial.
A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland found that young translocal forest owners in Finland often compromise on their values due to financial incentives and limited information on alternative methods. Sentimental value was identified as a key factor, with forests holding emotional significance for many owners.
Researchers found that frequent fires increased light in the forest understory and reduced fire intensity. Almost twice as many young oak trees survived and resprouted in plots with more frequent fires.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin developed an electronic tattoo to track moisture levels in plant leaves with greater accuracy. The technology uses graphene and can measure hydration levels directly from live leaves, providing more information on plant ecosystem health.
Recent ESA research studies explore supply and demand of bird migration routes, scavenging by mid-sized carnivores, and polar bear adaptation to a thawing Arctic. A new metric compares bird demand with habitat supply to assess stopover sites along migratory routes.
Researchers developed a microwave-coupled solvent system to efficiently convert hemicellulose into furfural, achieving high yields under mild conditions. The approach demonstrated significant energy savings compared to conventional heating methods.
A comprehensive study reveals that staple crops such as maize, rice, and cassava are responsible for about 11% of all agriculture-driven deforestation globally. In contrast, major export-oriented commodities like cocoa, coffee, and rubber cause less than 5% of deforestation.
A new study reveals that old-growth forests in Sweden store 72% more carbon per acre than managed forests, with a significant gap due to soil losses. Restoring primary forests could keep nearly 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Research in the Amazon forest shows that reduced-impact logging techniques can increase above-ground biomass and contribute to mitigating climate change. The study found that RIL-FM increased biomass stock by 70.68 megagrams per hectare, while conventional logging resulted in a biomass loss.
A study predicts that forest damage in Europe will more than double by 2100 due to increased wildfires, storms, and bark beetle activity. The team used AI-based simulation models to estimate the impact of global warming on forest ecosystems.
Abarco trees show strong early growth but sensitivity to air humidity and sunlight intensity, according to a new six-year study. The research provides critical guidance for reforestation and sustainable forest management in Colombia's tropical regions.
Forest thinning found to improve wildfire risk reduction and hydrological resilience, increasing snowpack depth by 30% on north-facing slopes. The treatment recovered about 12.3 acre-feet of snow-stored water per 100 acres, equivalent to roughly 15 Olympic swimming pools per square kilometer.
Researchers found that managed cropland soils produced the highest nitrous oxide emissions due to irrigation and fertilization, while natural ecosystems emitted lower amounts but showed a clear response to elevation. Climate change could shift the balance of greenhouse gas emissions across ecosystems in arid mountain regions.
Researchers at the University of Oulu have developed new bio-based resins that match or exceed the performance of fossil-based counterparts. The resins are produced from biomass-derived platform chemicals and offer a critical sustainability advantage: chemical recyclability.
Global study finds that nitrogen pollution causes forests to follow two distinct patterns in response to added nutrients, with some experiencing a boost and others collapsing. The findings highlight the importance of reducing nitrogen levels to stabilize forest soil carbon pools and maintain natural respiration rhythms.
Researchers have developed a new method for cleaning oil spills using massive fire whirls, which can burn through crude oil nearly twice as fast as in-situ fire pools. The results show that fire whirls produce 40% less soot and consume up to 95% of the fuel, leaving fewer harmful particles behind.
A comprehensive sectional classification of the Clematis genus has been established using robust phylogenomic evidence. The analysis identified 22 well-supported evolutionary clades and revised the infrageneric taxonomy into 22 distinct sections, resolving long-standing taxonomic ambiguities.
Researchers at the University of Göttingen found that forest soils in south-western Germany absorb more methane as climate conditions become drier and warmer. This contradicts current international meta-analyses, highlighting the importance of long-term monitoring for assessing the effects of climate change.
A new study suggests that strategic tree planting in Canada's northern forests could remove at least five times the country's annual carbon emissions, totaling around 19 gigatons by 2100. This would be a significant step towards Canada's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and meeting its commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
Deer behavior changes when exposed to the smell of predators like lynx and wolves, reducing browsing damage to tree saplings. The study suggests using large carnivores as a natural solution to mitigate overbrowsing in recovering forests.
A new study reveals Nepal's community forestry program has widened the gap between rural poverty and social elite, leaving marginalized populations behind. Researchers suggest stricter monitoring and targeted payment schemes to reform the program and promote equity.
Researchers at the University of Oulu have developed a pine-bark-based water-treatment medium that efficiently removes antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plant effluent. The method uses modified pine bark and combination materials, achieving removal efficiencies in the tens of percent to over 90%.
The COMET project AutoForst aims to increase safety, alleviate labor shortages, and improve forest logistics with digital and automated systems. Researchers will develop sensor and camera systems to recognize critical situations during loading and automate transport systems.
A new study from the University of Notre Dame found that satellite-derived forest maps often disagree, creating uncertainty for conservation, climate, and development policies. The discrepancies can be as high as a factor of 10, affecting millions of hectares and human lives.
A new study published by the University of Cambridge reveals that medieval Augustinian saints performed 'green-fingered' miracles, such as restoring swampy areas to fertility and healing diseased livestock. The research challenges major assumptions about the Catholic Church's forgotten early history.
Researchers found that thinning adjusts competition, maintaining forest productivity over time. Thinning levels the playing field, weakening large trees' dominance and giving smaller ones a chance to catch up.
The study refines the 3-PG model by adding a carbon storage pool, allowing it to account for the 'carry-over effect' in tree growth. The updated model achieves stronger agreement with observations and improves predictions of annual variations in tree-ring widths.
Research reveals beech trees adjust roots to short-term changes in soil moisture, improving drought readiness and survival in fluctuating environments. Fine root traits vary more in upper 10 cm of soil due to nutrient availability.
The SWIFTT project presents a hybrid seminar to showcase its platform that helps foresters detect and prevent insect outbreaks, analyse windthrow and fire damage. The event features live demos and presentations from the project team, highlighting the platform's benefits for sustainable forest management.
Researchers developed a hybrid estimator that uses probability-based sampling to work directly with available data, generating reliable estimates for forest attributes. The method achieved a sampling precision of over 90% and was comparable in efficiency to conventional model-based methods using superior Sentinel-2 data.
University of Houston engineers have discovered that melatonin helps plants grow by adjusting biological processes to coincide with daily cycles. The hormone also enhances photosynthesis and improves stress tolerance in crops.
A study identified 167 native species of the Atlantic Forest with bioeconomic applications, including medical, cosmetic, and food sectors. The researchers found that 78 species have registered patents in 61 countries, offering an economic incentive for reforestation projects.
A blockchain-based tracking and trading system designed to ensure full transparency in the timber supply chain. The system uses unique identifiers, blockchain technology, and smart contracts to verify wood origin and prevent illicit trade. This creates a competitive advantage for responsible businesses and promotes sustainability.
A new study of 1960s maps created by young people has provided important insights into the timing and extent of habitat losses in England and Wales. The analysis revealed a significant decline in semi-natural habitats, including rough grassland, heath, and wetland, which have lost 42% of their original area over the past 90 years.
Researchers found that rats contributed significantly to Rapa Nui's deforestation by consuming palm nuts, preventing trees from regrowing. The islanders cleared land for agriculture and used slash-and-burn practices, but the slow-growing palm trees made them vulnerable to rat predation.
A 47-year-old man from New Jersey died after consuming beef due to a tick-borne meat allergy caused by the Lone Star tick's alpha-gal sugar. Researchers identified the allergy and its link to fatal anaphylaxis, urging physicians to investigate severe abdominal pain after eating red meat in areas with high Lone Star tick populations.