For the past decade, researchers have been experimenting with switching individual genes on and off to determine what effect they have on growing trees. But they say they can now model the effects of switching all 21 lignin genes on or off in the lab, which will greatly reduce the amount of time needed to “design” trees that are suitable for particular purposes.
It is estimated that since the advent of the agricultural revolution Earth lost approximately half of its trees, and according to a recent survey as reported by Nature (the magazine), earth currently has only about three trillion trees. Image by UNclimatechange (some rights reserved) There are several organizations that are hard at work to plant back
800,000 volunteers planted 50 million trees in 24 hours in India during an attempt to break the world record for most trees planted in day, which was 847,275 set by Pakistan in 2013. Guinness World Record auditors haven’t completed their assessment of the Uttar Pradesh July 2016 project, which resulted in about 50 million trees being planted, but the
New research on trees in the continental United States has found that new spring leaves might start to bud up to 17 days earlier in the coming century then they did prior to the current anthropogenic climate change. The research is behind a new study by Princeton University researchers who used a new model that
Ari Jokimäki recently published one of his regular roundups of climate science research news. Since you probably haven’t seen many (or any) of these stories in the mainstream media, I’m reposting the roundup here in full. The post is from AGW Observer (via Skeptical Science). Enjoy! by Ari Jokimäki Wouldn’t it be nice to
Jack Gescheidt has developed a following for his nude photography aimed at protecting ancient and threatened trees. Watch the video above to learn a little more about how this started and has grown.
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and world-leading actor Don Cheadle (one of my favorites), as UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors, have launched an international challenge for World Environment Day to get a new forest planted.
Honest Tea, one of my favorite tea companies, recently partnered up with the National Forest Foundation to get a whole lot of trees planted. And you can help decide where.
Delonix regia is an awesome tree that look like it’s burning. In Spanish it’s called “Flamboyán” — that seems to really fit it. Flamboyan is a breathtaking tree worth looking at for hours! There’s nothing what will explain the beauty of that tree to you — just look at it!
Tree bombing to the rescue? Check out this infographic and see if it all adds up.
Yasuni National Park, located 250 km inland along the Eastern most border of Ecuador, is a world record holder in biodiversity richness: The roughly 10,000 km² forest is home to 139 species of amphibians (besting Columbia’s Leticia Park with its 98 species) and an estimated 100,000 species of insects. This latter figure represents the highest
What happens to that mass of garbage and waste when a land-fill is full? New research is hoping to show that turning the whole area into vegetation will be a real benefit for the environment. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist Pat Millner and safety manager David Prevar have worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection
2005 saw the worst drought in the Amazon rainforest for over a hundred years, and was believed to be just that; a one in a hundred year event. Sadly, only five years later and another drought hit the Amazon rainforest. And scientists now believe that the 2010 drought may have been even more devastating to
New research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem show that many tree species may be unable to shift with the changing climates, and could face extinction if manmade intervention is not made. The research looked at trees which dispersed their seeds via the wind, which include trees like pines and maples, and looked at
The widely held assumption that plants will have to migrate higher or become extinct in a warming world has been challenged today by a new study published in the journal Science, by Jonathan Greenberg, an assistant project scientist at the University of California, Davis, Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing. Greenberg looked at data
Other than what we’ve already covered, of course, here are a number of good environmental, wildlife, and green living stories form around the internet. GreenDeals aims to be a Groupon for green shoppers New website aims to offer US consumers discounts on green products and services… High-speed rail route to get 2m trees for shelter
New research into the tree populations of Southwest America have found that these forests will face reduced growth if temperatures continue to rise and rain continues to fall. The researchers looked at tree-ring data and climate models to find that the rising temperatures and falling precipitation have led to a decline in the fitness of
According to the theory, an increase in atmospheric CO2 (the main GHG responsible for global warming) will have an enhancing effect on forest growth, since plants and trees require CO2 to synthesize fuel (sugar, via photosynthesis) and experience growth. Thus, this excess CO2 is “fertilizing” tree growth, which in turn means more growth, which means
A new study suggests that, despite the fact that trees grow larger or faster with increased levels of carbon dioxide, they are not necessarily going to be able to store an equally growing amount of the carbon dioxide. The report, to be published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, points to
Environmental psychology researchers at the University of Michigan have confirmed what many have long-suspected: spending time in a natural setting is good for the brain (at least for its ability to retain important information). Study subjects learned better after a walk in nature that after a walk in a dense urban setting. Conversely, previous studies, also conducted by Berman et al, have shown that living in a dense urban environment actually impairs cognition and self-control.
[social_buttons] We’ve all heard the legend of Johnny Appleseed, the legendary apple tree planter of the United States. He walked across the country with his walking stick, and a bucket of seeds, just walking and planting as he went. Everywhere he went, apple trees sprouted up. And he was a hero. It is such a
London’s mayor announced a new 2 million tree plan to help fight climate change and keep Londoners cool. The plan is designed to counteract the “urban heat island effect” in which urban areas absorb and release more heat than surrounding areas, due to having more pavement, traffic and power demand.
Editor’s note: Is planting trees a valuable tool for fighting climate change? Or is it a feel-good activity without much effect? Our friends at Eco-Libris point to another study which argues tree-planting can work in sequestering carbon dioxide. This post was originally published on Friday, May 16, 2008. There is an ongoing debate on the
