All articles tagged with #forests
The Trump administration is advancing plans to scrap the roadless rule governing U.S. national forests, potentially enabling more logging, mining, and development, while drawing environmental concern and potential legal challenges.
The Trump administration proposes repealing the 2001 roadless rule, which bans road-building and logging in tens of millions of acres of national forests, a move opponents say could fragment habitats and threaten ecosystems. The proposal would affect more than 44 million acres (primarily in Western states) and is open for public comment, likely drawing legal challenges.
The Trump administration announced plans to rescind the Clinton-era Roadless Rule, potentially opening about 45 million acres of national forests to road building, drilling and logging; environmental groups warn this would threaten old-growth habitats and increase wildfire risks, while officials say it will empower local managers to improve forest health and reduce wildfires.
Researchers studying the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (~56 million years ago) show a rapid CO2 rise caused 5–9°C warming and a forest collapse: initial canopy gains were followed by a 61% drop in leaf-area index, fern-dominated landscapes, and long-lasting reduction in carbon storage, illustrating how heat can override CO2 fertilization—an alarming parallel for today’s warming forests.
A new study of fossilized leaf cuticles from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum shows forests thickened briefly but then collapsed as CO2 rose, browning the planet rather than greening it; the current rapid carbon release, with heat and drought, threatens widespread tree mortality and may outpace recovery, underscoring the need to curb fossil fuel use.
Six-year CO2 enrichment around 180-year-old English oaks shows trees grew more wood by tapping additional soil nitrogen through a root-microbe partnership: elevated CO2 raised usable soil nitrogen by about 29%, trees absorbed extra nitrogen, and soil released almost what the trees used, indicating a faster but tighter nitrogen cycle and lower nitrous oxide emissions; while this hints at greater carbon storage in forests, nitrogen reserves are finite and the overall soil carbon balance remains uncertain, with results published in Science Advances.
A multinational study using point dendrometers and 75 years of data finds that many oaks stop producing woody biomass by mid-summer even as photosynthesis continues, meaning forests may absorb less CO2 than climate models assume. Eastern oaks absorbed 36% of their carbon without growth, California oaks 26%, suggesting a decoupling of growth from photosynthesis under hot, dry conditions. The results could prompt revisions to how forests are represented in climate projections and call for broader testing across species and ecosystems.
New fossil and geological evidence place the shark lineage around 450 million years ago in the Middle Ordovician, predating the first broad leaves and forests on land, showing that modern sharks are the result of a long marine evolution rather than unchanged fossils, with land plants and forests arising much later in Earth’s history.
A study across 137 sites in the US finds tree growth often stops before the growing season ends, meaning wood production—and long‑term carbon storage—can lag behind the apparent carbon uptake from photosynthesis. In eastern sites about 36% of yearly uptake occurs after growth has ceased, and about 26% in California. Dry, hot conditions sharply limit wood growth, suggesting models that link carbon uptake directly to photosynthesis may overestimate future forest carbon sequestration as climate change raises aridity. The researchers plan to test if this decoupling occurs in other species and regions.
German researchers found oak trees delay leaf-out by about three days after heavy caterpillar outbreaks, tracked with Sentinel-1 radar data over five years across 60 forests (137,500 observations). The delay reduces caterpillar survival and tree damage by about 55%, is more energy-efficient than producing extra tannins, and is reversible—showing trees actively adapt to biotic threats in a warming world.
Rising energy costs and supply disruptions tied to global conflict are spilling from households into Africa and South Asia, threatening forests and conservation programs as people switch to more wood fuels and funding for parks and wildlife protection tightens, risking biodiversity in the region.
A fragment of amber found in West Antarctica, dating to 92–83 million years ago (mid-Cretaceous), indicates resin-producing trees once grew near the South Pole, suggesting ancient forested landscapes and a warmer climate; it is the first confirmed amber discovery in Antarctica and provides a direct glimpse into past ecosystems.
Researchers mounted a UV camera on a modified minivan to capture the ultraviolet corona emitted by trees during thunderstorms for the first time. The team observed 41 bursts in sweetgum and loblolly pine across the U.S. East Coast, with each burst emitting billions of photons at around 260 nanometers. This real but previously unobserved glow could influence forest health and atmospheric chemistry and may play a role in thunderstorm electrification, suggesting such coronae occur across forests worldwide.
Germany's forests are severely affected by climate change and bark beetle outbreaks, leading to reduced CO2 absorption. A new reforestation approach involving diverse species is being tested to enhance resilience and restore ecological balance, highlighting the importance of biodiversity in combating climate impacts.
COP30 in Belem, Brazil, aims to address climate change with a focus on Indigenous land stewardship and forest protection, but progress is uncertain as global efforts lag behind targets set by the Paris Agreement, with no major new deal expected this year.