Signatures of a long-ago solar storm, recorded in tree rings, helped researchers date a 7,400-year-old settlement in northern Greece.
trees
Posted inFeatures
Forests, Water, and Livelihoods in the Lesser Himalaya
Complex changes in land use, land cover, climate, and demographics are combining to stress water security for millions of people in the region.
Posted inNews
Planting Trees May Not Be as Good for the Climate as Previously Believed
The climate benefits of trees storing carbon dioxide is partially offset by dark forests’ absorption of more heat from the Sun, and compounds they release that slow the destruction of methane in the atmosphere.
Posted inNews
The Best Way to Kill Trees to Create Habitat
Standing dead trees—or snags—shelter animals, store carbon, and cycle nutrients. A long-term monitoring study found that lopping off a tree’s top branches is a good way to turn it into a snag within about 20 years.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Measuring Methane Stemming from Tree Stems
Wetland tree stem emissions have emerged as a significant contributor to the global methane budget. A new study tracks how they vary by season, location, and hydrological conditions.
Posted inNews
Guatemala Is Reclaiming Overexploited Forests
Researchers, local communities, and authorities are tackling deforestation and forest degradation at the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Grow-Fast-Die-Young Strategy Increases Swiss Forest Biomass
Climate change and CO2 fertilization can increase both growth and mortality of trees. The net effect on forest biomass depends on that trade-off, which long-term studies in Switzerland reveal.
Posted inNews
A Strong Quake (or Two) Rattled Puget Sound 1,100 Years Ago
Tree rings hint that two neighboring faults ruptured within 6 months of each other and suggest that the maximum magnitude of quakes around Puget Sound could exceed previous estimates.
Posted inNews
South American Rainforests Are on the Brink of Becoming Carbon Sources
Plants’ ability to stock carbon ceased during the 2015–2016 El Niño, as temperatures skyrocketed and trees died.