http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/forests/ Forest Biomes. Read all about forests, including forest ecology, carbon uptake, and how human activities are affecting forests. Full articles, photos. en-us Wed, 21 May 2008 18:05:01 EDT Wed, 21 May 2008 18:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/forests/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520211441.htm The use of harvest residues for energy production decreases soil carbon stocks. These changes in soil carbon stocks are remarkable compared to the other greenhouse gas emissions caused by the use of forest residues for energy. On a national scale, soil carbon stocks play an important role in forest carbon balances. Wed, 21 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520211441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094431.htm Preliminary findings in one of the first landscape-scale experiments on how forest management affects western Ponderosa pine ecosystems have been completed. The results suggests that in the absence of treatments like thinning and controlled burns, old-growth characteristics will be lost as a result of lower growth rates and higher tree mortality. The scientists reached this conclusion by evaluating decades of growth data obtained on the experimental forest. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101652.htm One possible approach to carbon dioxide reduction would be to deliberately plant forests, bind the carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and then removed the trees from the global cycle by burial. Thu, 15 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092618.htm US Forest Service scientists with the Center for Urban Forest Research have completed a study that found planting and nurturing Indianapolis street trees brought a 500 percent return in benefits from storm water reduction, energy conservation, cleaner air and increased property values. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508131118.htm New research shows increased temperatures and carbon dioxide levels are a threat to the Australian national icon, the koala. Biologists have been researching the effects of carbon dioxide increases and temperature rises on eucalypts. They have shown in the laboratory that increases in carbon dioxide affect the level of nutrients and 'anti-nutrients' (things that are either toxic or interfere with the digestion of nutrients) in eucalypt leaves. Anti-nutrients in eucalypts are built from carbon and an increase in carbon dioxide levels will favor the production of anti-nutrients over nutrients. Koalas are fussy about the species of eucalypts that they eat as different species contain different ratios of nutrients to anti-nutrients. Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508131118.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm Walking through the last rainforests on the volcanic island of Mauritius, located some 800 km east of Madagascar, one is surrounded by ghosts. Since human colonisation in the 17th century, the island has lost most of its unique animals. The litany includes the famous flightless dodo, giant tortoises, parrots, pigeons, fruitbats, and giant lizards. It is comparatively easy to notice the los­­s of a species, but much more difficult to realise how many interactions have been lost as a result. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm The Amazon rainforest, so crucial to the Earth's climate system, is coming under threat from cleaner air say prominent climate scientists. The new study identifies a link between reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from burning coal and increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical north Atlantic, resulting in a heightened risk of drought in the Amazon rainforest. Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm Fire-derived charcoal is thought to be an important carbon sink. However, a new article in Science shows that charcoal promotes soil microbes and causes a large loss of soil carbon. There has been greatly increasing attention given to the potential of ‘biochar’, or charcoal made from biological tissues (e.g., wood) to serve as a long term sink of carbon in the soil. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095100.htm Over millions of years carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been moderated by a finely-tuned natural feedback system -- a system that human emissions have recently overwhelmed. Scientists have now linked the pre-human stability to connections between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the breakdown of minerals in the Earth's crust. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rain forests were cut down, researchers are attempting what many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rain forest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle pastures in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees in the early 1990s, native species of plants began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rain forests could one day be replaced. Ten years after the tree plantings, researchers counted the species of plants that took up residence in the shade of the new planted areas. They found remarkably high numbers of species -- more than 100 in each plot. And many of the new arrivals were also to be found in nearby remnants of the original forests. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm German scientists are engaging bats to kick-start natural reforestation in the tropics by installing artificial bat roosts in deforested areas. The researchers report that the deployment of artificial bat roosts significantly increases seed dispersal of a wide range of tropical forest plants into their surroundings, providing a simple and cheap method to speed up natural forest regeneration. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422115016.htm Researchers have proposed a new option for incorporating deforestation into the international climate change treaty. The approach would provide carbon credits for developing countries that both set aside a portion of existing forests and slow the rate at which the remaining forests are cut down. A key point in the approach is its call for a deceleration of deforestation. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422115016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414193040.htm As well as cutting our fossil fuel emissions, planting new forests, or managing existing forests or agricultural land more effectively can capitalize on nature's ability to act as a carbon sink. New research shows that although planting trees alone is unlikely to solve our climate problems, large-scale plantations could have a significant effect in the longer term. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414193040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402151409.htm Scientists have provided the first description of a fungus responsible for the wilt of redbay trees along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Plant pathologists have now provided results from their assessment of the fungus, the beetle that carries it, and their combined effect on redbay and other members of the laurel family, including sassafras, spicebush and avocado. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402151409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330214448.htm More than two million trees belonging to nearly 5000 species, growing in tropical forests spread over 12 sites and three continents, have been monitored since the 1980s. The aims of this major study were to analyze the carbon storage capacity of tropical forests and measure the effects of climate change on how they function. Researchers found that tropical forests did indeed act as carbon sinks, but appeared to react principally to intrinsic phenomena rather than climate change. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330214448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330213008.htm With the help of satellite data, researchers from laboratories in France(1), the UK, Japan and Russia have completed the accurate and large-scale mapping of leaf appearance dates in boreal forests. Their work has revealed a remarkable trend towards earlier foliation, which occurred between 1987 and 1990, over a large part of northern Eurasia, caused by the unprecedented increase in spring temperatures since 1921. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330213008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327093626.htm US Forest Service scientists with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry have completed a study on ways to make high-value koa trees grow faster, while increasing biodiversity, carbon sequestration, scenic beauty and recreation opportunities in native Hawaiían forests. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327093626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rainforests were cut down, researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute took on a project that many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rainforest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle fields in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees, native species began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rainforests can one day be replaced. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203442.htm Evidence shows that a new logging road in Riau Province is cutting into the heart of Sumatra's largest contiguous peatland forest, a rare hydrological ecosystem that acts as one of the planet's biggest carbon stores. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318084337.htm Some 15 chimpanzees facing extinction in an isolated Rwandan forest have a greater chance for survival thanks to one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration efforts ever. A 30-mile (50km) tree corridor will be planted to connect the Gishwati Forest Reserve, the chimpanzees' home range, to Nyungwe National Park. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318084337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314160222.htm Endangered sea turtles are victims of sloppy logging practices in the west central African country Gabon, according to a new study. Sea turtle nesting attempts are impeded by lost or abandoned logs that accumulate along the country's coastal beaches. Logs are floated downriver from forests to coastal lumberyards in the Gabonese Republic, but some float out to sea and then wash ashore, where they form large tangles. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314160222.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311093341.htm The number of amphibians drastically decreases in forest areas that are clearcut, according to previous studies. However, some animals may not be dying. Instead, a biologist says some animals may be moving away (possibly to return later) or retreating underground. The finding could have major implications for both the timber industry and the survival of amphibians. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311093341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303190645.htm To the list of threats to tropical rainforests you can add a new one -- trees. It might seem that for a rainforest the more trees the merrier, but a new study warns that non-native trees invading a rainforest can change its basic ecological structure -- rendering it less hospitable to the myriad plant and animal species that depend on its resources. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303190645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144228.htm Plants gained their ancestral toehold on dry land with considerable help from their fungal friends. Now, millennia later, that partnership is being exploited as a strategy to bolster biomass production for next generation biofuels. The genetic mechanism of this kind of symbiosis, which contributes to the delicate ecological balance in healthy forests, also provides insights into plant health that may enable more efficient carbon sequestration and enhanced phytoremediation, using plants to clean up environmental contaminants. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304200902.htm Research from ancient sediment cores indicates that a warming climate could make the world's arctic tundra far more susceptible to fires than previously thought. The findings are important given the potential for tundra fires to release organic carbon -- which could add significantly to the amount of greenhouse gases already blamed for global warming. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304200902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080302211819.htm Ski tourism is raising stress levels among capercaillie the largest member of the grouse family of birds, which could harm the birds' fitness and ability to breed successfully, ecologists have found. Researchers warn that forests should be kept free from tourism infrastructure if they are inhabited by capercaillie - a rare species whose numbers are declining markedly across central Europe. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080302211819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303072651.htm Damage to plants from a freeze that occurred across much of the Eastern United States in April 2007 was made worse because it had been preceded by two weeks of unusual warmth. More freeze and thaw fluctuations are possible in future winters as a result of global warming, and rising carbon dioxide levels increase the susceptibility of some plants. The 2007 event could be a scenario for an effect of future climate change. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303072651.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228100735.htm Biologists have developed a series of global maps that show where projected habitat loss and climate change are expected to drive the need for future reserves to prevent biodiversity loss. Many of the regions that face the greatest habitat change in relation to the amount of land currently protected —- such as Indonesia and Madagascar —- are in globally threatened and endemic species-rich, developing tropical nations that have the fewest resources for conservation. Conversely, many of the temperate regions of the planet with an already expansive network of reserves are in countries —- such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland —- with the greatest financial resources for conservation efforts, but comparatively less biodiversity under threat. Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228100735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226193141.htm Turning just one Sumatran province's forests and peat swamps into pulpwood and palm oil plantations is generating more annual greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands and rapidly driving the province's elephants into extinction, a new study has found. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226193141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229133224.htm A new report identifies the potential volume of wood resources available from more than 2 million acres of Arizona forests, representing the first major agreement among groups typically at odds over the issue of forest thinning. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229133224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218134554.htm Protected forest strips buffering rivers and streams of the Amazon rainforest should be significantly wider than the current legal requirement, according to new research. Brazilian forestry legislation currently requires that all forest strips alongside rivers and streams on private land be maintained as permanent reserves and it sets a minimum legal width of 60m. But after investigating the effects of corridor width on the number of bird and mammal species, researchers say a minimum critical width of 400m is necessary. Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218134554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218172312.htm A new method for measuring the impacts of species on local biodiversity has been developed. The system makes it possible to determine whether a certain species promotes or suppresses species diversity. The new method extends a procedure familiar to biologists that involves investigating species numbers in relation to area, by adding sophisticated statistical methods so that it can be used to describe the role of individual species in their impact on biodiversity. The new method makes it easier to identify key species. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218172312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130401.htm Scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center working to produce the "National Biomass and Carbon Dataset" for the US are releasing data from nine project mapping zones. Within each mapping zone data from the 2000 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission are combined with topographic survey data from the National Elevation Dataset (NED) to produce a radar-based map of vegetation canopy height. Subsequently, the map is used to generate estimates of actual vegetation height, biomass, and carbon stock using survey data from the U.S. Forest Service -- FIA program and ancillary data sets from the National Land Cover Database 2001 (NLCD2001) project. The NLCD2001 data layers are crucial inputs to the NBCD2000 project as they provide land cover and canopy density information used in the stratification/calibration process. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213133316.htm Garlic mustard has become an invasive species in temperate forests across the United States, choking out native plants on forest floors and threatening ecosystem diversity. Ecologists have now created a computer model that in combination with quarantined research tests he believes will be able to predict the perfect predator -- a pest that can be introduced into a forested area that will help reduce the garlic mustard population. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213133316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090527.htm According to the Chinese proverb, a bird sings because it has a song, not because it has an answer. A team of French and Brazilian researchers, however, may have the answer as to how the song of Brazilian white-browed warbler has become so well-adapted to the acoustic properties of the rainforest environment. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090527.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206111244.htm Ecologists have found that excess nitrogen in tropical forests boosts plant growth by an average of 20 percent, countering the belief that such forests would not respond to nitrogen pollution. Faster plant growth means the tropics will take in more carbon dioxide than previously thought, though long-term climate effects are unclear. Over the next century, nitrogen pollution is expected to steadily rise, with the most dramatic increases in rapidly developing tropical regions such as India, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206111244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204172224.htm A number of key components of the Earth's climate system could pass their 'tipping point'. Earth's climate system is at risk of being pushed past critical thresholds, so that important components may "tip". In other words, the Earth is approaching the point where even small changes can have large long-term consequences on human and ecological systems. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204172224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154343.htm Autumn colors are appearing later and later, if at all. Scientists say we can blame increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for prolonging the growing season. And that may actually be good news for forestry industries. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117140845.htm The preservation of coastal ecosystem services such as clean water, storm buffers or fisheries protection does not have to be an all-or-nothing approach, a new study indicates, and a better understanding of how ecosystems actually respond to protection efforts in a "nonlinear" fashion could help lead the way out of environmental-versus-economic gridlock. Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117140845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115085344.htm The Rwandan government, Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark have announced that the Gishwati Forest Reserve is the future site of the Rwanda National Conservation Park, setting into motion one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration and ecological research efforts ever. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115085344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173858.htm Researchers have discovered some of the genetic secrets that enable pine and spruce trees to fight off pests and disease, uncovering critical new information about forests' natural defense systems. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111100647.htm US Forest Service and U.C. Santa Barbara scientists believe they have identified the habitat needs for Pacific fishers, a rare California mammal that is a candidate for reintroduction efforts and listing under the Endangered Species Act. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111100647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107115136.htm In order to increase productivity, forest practices have become more intense in recent decades. Forest fertilization increased by 800% in the southeastern United States from 1990 to 1999, and the total acreage fertilized in the Southeast exceeds the forest area fertilized in the rest of the world. This has generated concern that intensive forest practices, including fertilization, may negatively impact water quality in forest streams. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107115136.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107091035.htm Research on a treasure trove of amber has yielded evidence that France once was covered by a dense tropical rainforest with trees similar to those found in the modern-day Amazon. The 55-million-year-old pieces of amber was discovered in the Oise River area in northern France. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107091035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107181343.htm Claims that tropical forests are declining cannot be backed up by hard evidence, according to new research. This major challenge to conventional thinking is the surprising finding of a study by one of the world's leading experts on tropical deforestation. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107181343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071218113501.htm The Forest Service's Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center recently launched its forest threats summary viewer, a tool that will provide images, threat distribution maps, additional forestry contact information, and brief descriptions about forest threats throughout the eastern US. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071218113501.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213204034.htm Indonesia's new 10 year action plan for conserving orangutans will have important benefits in mitigating climate change. Deforestation, for timber, pulp and palm oil plantations, have pushed Indonesia into the status of being a major carbon emitter, while threatening globally significant wildlife populations. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213204034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203121423.htm Deforestation in tropical countries is often driven by the perverse economic reality that forests are worth more dead than alive. But a new study by an international consortium of researchers has found that the emerging market for carbon credits has the potential to radically alter that equation. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203121423.htm