http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/rainforests/ Rain Forest News. Current science articles on rainforest animals, rainforest plants, and ecosystems of old-growth forests. en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 14:05:01 EDT Fri, 16 May 2008 14:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/rainforests/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. 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/2008/05/080512094438.htm It's a tough job, but somebody, or at least some dogs, have to do it. In the Cerrado region of Brazil, four dogs trained to detect animal feces by scent are helping researchers monitor rare and threatened wildlife such as jaguar, tapir, giant anteater and maned wolf in and around Emas National Park, a protected area with the largest concentration of threatened species in Brazil. Tue, 13 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094438.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/2008/05/080507105619.htm Envisat captured Cyclone Nargis making its way across the Bay of Bengal just south of Myanmar on May 1, 2008. The cyclone hit the coastal region and ripped through the heart of Myanmar on Saturday, devastating the country. Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105619.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/2008/04/080428133928.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/2008/04/080402120515.htm Indigenous peoples have contributed the least to world greenhouse gas emissions and have the smallest ecological footprints on Earth. Yet they suffer the worst impacts not only of climate change, but also from some of the international mitigation measures being taken, according to organizers of a United Nations University meeting. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120515.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/2008/03/080327093626.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/2008/03/080311160514.htm After 14 years without having been seen, several young scientists have rediscovered the Carrikeri harlequin frog in a remote mountainous region in Colombia. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311160514.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/2008/02/080228100735.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/2008/02/080215205013.htm Villagers in tiny communities in the rainforest of northeastern Honduras used to take part in the rampant illegal trade in mahogany, but recently they have formed a cooperative and learned to harvest the prized wood in sustainable ways. Now, they mostly use trees that have fallen naturally or harvest them in a sustainable way from around the fringes of the nearby Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, and remove planks from the forest, first on their backs, then on muleback to avoid the disruption caused by heavy machinery. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215205013.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/2008/02/080213133316.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/2008/02/080213090520.htm Oil palm cultivation has expanded dramatically in recent decades and is frequently cited as a major threat to tropical biodiversity. Analysis of the published literature has revealed significant changes in the focus of oil palm research over the last 30 years. Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090520.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/2008/02/080206090510.htm A new study suggests that socioeconomic factors best explain patterns of the infectious disease American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Costa Rica. Contrary to the established belief that deforestation reduces the risk of infection, the research shows that deforestation may actually make socially marginalized human populations more vulnerable to infection. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206090510.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/2008/01/080115085344.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/2008/01/080107115136.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 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071217092939.htm A tiny possum and a giant rat were recorded by scientists as probable new species on a recent expedition to Indonesia's remote and virtually unknown "Lost World" in the pristine wilderness of western New Guinea's Foja Mountains. Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071217092939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211233016.htm Scientists found scat sniffing dogs might be the best way to confirm the presence of rare carnivores in forested areas like the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211233016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211095832.htm A new online carbon calculator helps people easily calculate how much they are adding to global greenhouse gases. Tropical deforestation emits at least 20 percent of total greenhouse gases that cause climate change -- more than all the world's cars, SUVs, trucks, trains and airplanes combined. The calculator determines personal or family carbon emissions from home energy, vehicle, travel and diet behaviors, or from an individual event or travel. Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211095832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071206110818.htm Scientists exploring one of the largest remaining blocks of tropical forest in Western Africa discovered significant populations of new, rare and threatened species underscoring the area's high biological diversity and value. The discoveries include a critically endangered frog species, an unusually high 22 species of large mammals and six species of primates including two species of global conservation concern. Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071206110818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071206235448.htm A new data analysis shows conclusively that large amounts of carbon dioxide are released from peatland in Southeast Asia when it is converted from natural swamp forest to plantations of oil palm or pulpwood trees. This supports the findings of a recent Greenpeace report on the impact of growing oil palm on tropical peatlands. Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071206235448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211233959.htm A new study looks at a poorly understood process with potentially critical consequences for climate change. Emma Sayer, postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Jennifer Powers, an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and Edmund Tanner, researcher at Cambridge University, published the findings of their long-term study on the effects of increased plant litter on soil carbon and nutrient cycling in the Dec. 12 edition of PLoS ONE. Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211233959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210094234.htm Climate change will affect national parks, forest reserves and other protected areas around the world, in some cases altering conditions so severely that the resulting environments will be virtually new to the planet, according to a study presented at the UN climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia. Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210094234.htm