By making clear-cut forests patchier, moose create a reflective surface that bounces back sunlight and keeps temperatures down.
forests
The Limits to Tree Planting in the Indian Himalayas
The Indian government has an ambitious forestry goal. New research shows it may be out of sync with environmental and social constraints.
Why Tropical Forests Are Important for Our Well-Being
Tropical forests play a critical role in supporting human well-being, food security, and the maintenance of biodiversity.
Boreal Trees May Grow Faster Due to Climate Change
Enhanced tree growth could significantly offset carbon emissions, but some researchers say it’s not enough to compete with forest disturbances.
Ants Aren’t Adapting to Warmer Temperatures
Foraging in hotter-than-desired temperatures could negatively affect ants’ biology and the forest ecosystems that they support.
Roughed-Up Hillsides Reveal Tree-Toppling Winds
Researchers are reading pockmarks in the forest floor to study the uprooting of trees in southern Indiana and estimate how fast winds howled through the forest in the past.
Selectively Logged Forests Are Not Broken
Borneo’s logged forests are buzzing with life and have unrealized conservation potential.
A Forest, for the Trees
Arrays of technologies and innovative research are helping scientists better understand forests, fires, and the future of our shared landscape.
Last Tree Standing
Refugia repopulate forests after fires, but climate change is making these woodlands increasingly unpredictable.
The World’s Roots Are Getting Shallower
Root-filled soils are hot spots of nutrient cycling and carbon storage. New research finds that the world has lost millions of cubic meters of rooted soil volume—and we’re on track to lose much more.