In 1837, New Zealand imported possums for a fur trade; 189 years later, aerial photos show they have damaged about half the vulnerable trees in one rare South Island forest
PossumsRepresentative image In 1837, New Zealand introduced Australian brushtail possums in the hope of building a profitable fur industry. The animals were expected to provide valuable pelts and help create a new rural economy, but the experiment had…
In 2024, New York turned 250 discarded Christmas trees into nearly 600 feet of breakwaters; by fall, the trees were trapping sediment around a restored salt marsh
What looked like holiday waste ended up helping rebuild a fragile salt marsh at Jamaica Bay, where the trees were turned into nearly 600 feet of natural breakwaters. In 2024, 250 discarded Christmas trees were repurposed into nearly 600 linear feet of…
Scientists warmed Minnesota forest trees by 3.4°C for years expecting respiration to surge 23%; the trees adapted and erased nearly 80% of that increase
The open-air study was designed to mimic future warming while maintaining natural outdoor conditions. Researchers established plots in both open and closed-canopy forest environments and planted seedlings representing 11 tree species. In a Minnesota…
Baltimore kept an invasive pear as its official tree for 52 years; after Maryland banned its sale, six costumed native trees raced to reveal its replacement, the tulip poplar
The six finalists were the tulip poplar, American sycamore, blackgum, bald cypress, bitternut hickory and overcup oak. (wbaltv photo) For 52 years, Baltimore had the Chanticleer pear, also known as the callery pear, as its official city tree. That…
Ugandan communities planted 4,053 trees beside one of Africa’s great rainforests; now the new forest is rebuilding a damaged wildlife buffer
Like Impenetrable Forest. Image Credit: Ron Van Oers/Wikipedia Communities living beside Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have planted 4,053 agroforestry trees across 40 hectares of land, beginning the restoration of a damaged buffer zone…
Denmark planted trees for carbon storage, but 21 years later natural forests proved more diverse while plantations captured carbon faster
Denmark’s long-running effort to create forests on former farmland has revealed a striking trade-off between carbon storage and biodiversity. After 21 years, scientists compared naturally regenerated forests with areas deliberately planted with trees.…
In 2021, a North Yorkshire estate began restoring 2,500 acres of intensively farmed land; four years later, 330,000 trees and 1,700+ species mark its comeback
Nature recovery at Broughton Sanctuary Four years after moving 2,500 acres of North Yorkshire farmland away from intensive farming, conservation teams at Broughton Sanctuary have recorded more than 1,700 species and planted 330,000 trees across the…
Did Trump cut down trees at the White House? Here’s why dozens of trees are being removed across Washington, DC
President Donald Trump’s effort to reshape Washington, DC, has expanded to the removal of dozens of mature trees across federal properties. The work includes tree removals at the White House grounds and the historic East Potomac Golf Links. The…
In 2013, a UK beach began planting discarded Christmas trees to trap blowing sand; by 2026, the project had created 90 metres of new dunes that help defend homes from flooding
More than 2,000 Christmas trees were planted at St Annes beach in February 2026. (Photo: .visitstannes.info) Discarded Christmas trees are being used to help protect homes and businesses along the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, UK. Since the project began in…
A huge forested island appeared in a British Columbia reservoir, vanished, then resurfaced 30 km away 15 days later with trees, birds and other animals still aboard
British Columbia reservoirRepresentative image from Canva In the summer of 2026, workers and residents around the Williston Reservoir in northern British Columbia witnessed something that sounded like folklore: a large, forested island broke free from…