The UK government will fund the planting of more than 130,000 trees in English towns and cities in the next two years as part of its efforts to fight climate change, The Guardian reported Sunday. The plan, announced Sunday, will allow individuals, local governments, non-governmental organizations and charities to apply for grants from the Urban […]
Update: The window for photo submissions has ended. The winner will be announced this Monday, April 22. EcoWatch is pleased to announce its second photo contest! Earth Day is happening on April 22nd, and this year’s theme is “Protect Our Species.” With that in mind, we want EcoWatchers to show us your photographs of creatures […]
By Marlene Cimons Neil Pederson’s introduction to tree rings came from a “sweet and kindly” college instructor, who nevertheless was “one of the most boring professors I’d ever experienced,” Pederson said. “I swore tree rings off then and there.” But they kept coming back to haunt him. As a future forest ecologist, he needed to […]
By Patrick Rogers In the U.S., we consume more than 15 billion pounds of tissue each year—more than 50 pounds per person. It’s taking a major toll on forests like the Canadian boreal. Few people give much thought to how their toilet paper is made. And to be fair, there’s nothing particularly engaging in the […]
The last thing on your mind in February is gardening. But this is prime time to prepare for a very important task: planting fruit trees. Most people buy their fruit trees the same way they buy all of their other plants: in pots. But savvy gardeners know better. Fruit trees are cheaper and grow best […]
By Clara Chaisson Dutch interactive artist Thijs Biersteker is something like a real-life Lorax—except instead of speaking for the trees, he equips them with the technology to speak for themselves. Trees are among our most diligent and prolific data loggers (no pun intended), recording a wealth of information about the world around them in the […]
By Marlene Cimons Plants are humanity’s greatest ally in the fight against climate change. Plants soak up carbon dioxide and turn it into leaves and branches. The more trees humans plant, the less heat-trapping carbon pollution in the air. Unfortunately, plants require a lot of water and land, so much that humans might need a […]
By Sonja Dümpelmann Many cities, in recent years, have initiated tree planting campaigns to offset carbon dioxide emissions and improve urban microclimates. In 2007, New York City launched MillionTrees NYC, a program designed to plant 1 million new trees along streets, in parks and on private and public properties by 2017. They hit their goal […]
If you’ve seen lovers’ initials carved in a tree, it’s probably a beech. The iconic species—known for its smooth, delicate bark—is not just a favorite canvas for bark carvers, they provide shelter and food for a large range of wildlife, including birds, squirrels and bears. But scientists are raising flags on a mysterious, deadly and […]