Conservation / Tree Health

Event inspires hope, celebrates the partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine, and recognizes USDA's efforts in assisting Ukraine's agricultural sectors

by Bev Betkowski, University of Alberta

Keeping tree diversity intact in Canada's many forests over the long term can help increase carbon capture and mitigate climate change, according to a new University of Alberta study.

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2023 – Today, in anticipation of the upcoming Earth Day celebrations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced actions to foster forest conservation, enhance forest resilience to climate change, and inform policymaking on ensuring healthy forests on federally managed lands administered by the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Today, the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest conservation organization, announces that two iconic Chicago institutions – The Morton Arboretum and Shedd Aquarium – have been named as Centers for Species Survival.

by Martha O'Hagan Luff, The Conversation

Despite its green image, Ireland has surprisingly little forest. Across Europe, nations average around 35% forest cover but in Ireland the figure is just 11%, one of the lowest on the continent.

By Dino Grandoni

Put down the apple. It’s the tree that may help keep the doctor away.

In urban areas, trees shade sidewalks, suck up air pollution, soften traffic noise — and are just plain nice to look at. And by taking climate-warming carbon out of the atmosphere, trees are good for the planet, too.

It turns out the health gains of all that greenery add up.

A recent study conducted in Portland, Ore., found that in neighborhoods where a nonprofit planted more trees, fewer people died.

by Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL

Non-native forest tree species can reduce native species diversity if they are planted in uniform stands. In contrast, the effects of introduced species on soil properties are small. This was found by an international review study with the participation of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.

by Alex Brown

Cities need to plant more trees. But not just any trees.

As communities prepare for a massive influx of federal funding to support urban forestry, their leaders say the tree canopy that grows to maturity 50 years from now will need to be painted with a different palette than the one that exists today.

"You need a tree that's going to survive the weather of today and the climate of the future," said Pete Smith, urban forestry program manager with the Arbor Day Foundation, a Nebraska-based nonprofit that supports tree planting and care.

A new analysis of more than 20,000 trees on five continents shows that old-growth trees are more drought tolerant than younger trees in the forest canopy and may be better able to withstand future climate extremes.

The findings highlight the importance of preserving the world's remaining old-growth forests, which are biodiversity strongholds that store vast amounts of planet-warming carbon, according to University of Michigan forest ecologist Tsun Fung (Tom) Au, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Global Change Biology.

The findings suggest that complex interactions between trees and other organisms should be carefully considered when determining the combination of trees in a forest to ensure a functional ecosystem is maintained.