forests

Trump Signs Executive Order Handing U.S. Public Forests Over to Private Logging Industry

Trump Signs Executive Order Handing U.S. Public Forests Over to Private Logging Industry

A new executive order signed by President Donald Trump over the weekend could have a disastrous effect on endangered species, climate change and local economies, warned conservation groups. The order encouraging the “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production” seeks to erode Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection rules in favor of the expansion of tree felling […]

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    UK Cuts Subsidies for Drax Power Station in Half, Saying It Must Burn 100% Sustainable Biomass

    UK Cuts Subsidies for Drax Power Station in Half, Saying It Must Burn 100% Sustainable Biomass

    The United Kingdom has announced new reduced subsidies for its controversial Drax power station, which had been previously converted to burning wood biomass from coal. The North Yorkshire plant is an important source of energy for the country, but has received criticism because of sustainability concerns, in addition to Drax Group plc’s enormous profits, reported […]

    COP16 to Address Global Land Degradation and Desertification Begins in Saudi Arabia

    COP16 to Address Global Land Degradation and Desertification Begins in Saudi Arabia

    Following the recent United Nations biodiversity and climate conferences, the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) began Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the goal of tackling drought, desertification and land degradation. The UN has found that, in order to restore the planet’s degraded lands and prevent […]

    Wildland-Urban Interface Areas Have Increased by More Than 35% in the Past Two Decades, Study Finds

    Wildland-Urban Interface Areas Have Increased by More Than 35% in the Past Two Decades, Study Finds

    Over the course of the last several decades, people seeking to move out of populated areas have been increasingly building homes in neighboring wildlands. Wildland-urban interface (WUI) — places where human development meets undeveloped natural areas like grasslands, deserts or forests — grew by 35.6 percent from 2000 to 2020, according to new research led […]

    Tree Bark Can Remove Methane Emissions From the Atmosphere, Study Finds

    Tree Bark Can Remove Methane Emissions From the Atmosphere, Study Finds

    Trees aren’t just important for carbon sequestration. According to a new study, trees can also help remove methane from the atmosphere through their bark. Researchers determined that some tree bark contains microbes that can take up methane from the atmosphere at a rate similar to the sequestration power of soil. The researchers published their findings […]

    Wilderness Hiking 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Wilderness Hiking 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts What Is ‘Wilderness Hiking’? Wilderness hiking is an escape from developed areas into the healing vastness of nature. On a trek through the forest you can expect to experience peace, wonder and awe — all of which are great for the body and mind. Taking a backpack and venturing into the woods […]

    Summer Solstice Triggers Mass, Synchronized European Beech Tree Reproduction, Study Finds

    Summer Solstice Triggers Mass, Synchronized European Beech Tree Reproduction, Study Finds

    A common “old world” tree, European beech can be found across Europe — from southern Scandinavia and Spain to Sicily and northwest Turkey. A new study by an international team of researchers has found that the summer solstice triggers synchronized beech tree reproduction all over the continent, influencing ecosystem functions. “We got inspired by a […]