trees

A Maryland couple bought 116 acres as a hunting property; 20 years later, they had replaced crops with native grasses, wildflowers and trees and permanently protected the land for wildlife

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A Maryland couple bought 116 acres as a hunting property; 20 years later, they had replaced crops with native grasses, wildflowers and trees and permanently protected the land for wildlife

Photo Credit: ESLC via easternshoreundercover.com When Louise and John Durocher bought 116 acres in Kent County, Maryland, the property was intended primarily as a hunting retreat. Over the next two decades, however, the couple gradually changed its purpose. They stopped growing crops and began restoring the fields with native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees. They … Read more

In 1999, Pennsylvania teacher Ronald Sakolsky donated $5,000 to farmer Yin Yuzhen to fund her tree-planting efforts in Inner Mongolia; 27 years later, his contribution helped transform China’s Maowusu Desert into a forest of 50,000 trees

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In 1999, Pennsylvania teacher Ronald Sakolsky donated $5,000 to farmer Yin Yuzhen to fund her tree-planting efforts in Inner Mongolia; 27 years later, his contribution helped transform China’s Maowusu Desert into a forest of 50,000 trees

Pennsylvania teacher Ronald Sakolsky’s $5,000 donation helps transform China’s desert into a forest of 50,000 trees. (Photo: Getty Images) Ronald Sakolsky, a 69-year-old retired teacher from Pennsylvania, recently returned to China for the first time in 26 years and was stunned to see what had become of the once-barren landscape he had helped support. A … Read more

Three siblings in Essex cut down their neighbours’ 33-foot Leylandii trees after a boundary row; the dispute ended with about £30,500 in damages and £178,668 in the neighbours’ legal costs

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Three siblings in Essex cut down their neighbours’ 33-foot Leylandii trees after a boundary row; the dispute ended with about £30,500 in damages and £178,668 in the neighbours’ legal costs

View from Robert McCarthy’s home towards the old Leylandii trees at the bottom of the garden. (Photos: The Standard) Three siblings in Essex were ordered to pay about £30,500 in damages and £178,668 in their neighbours’ legal costs after cutting down a row of 33-foot Leylandii trees during a long-running boundary dispute. The court found … Read more

Australian homeowner blamed six neighbouring trees for damage to her 130-year-old heritage home and sought $23,650.86 for repairs; NSW court rejected the claim after finding no proven link to the trees

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Australian homeowner blamed six neighbouring trees for damage to her 130-year-old heritage home and sought $23,650.86 for repairs; NSW court rejected the claim after finding no proven link to the trees

The Court accepted the damage but found no proven link between the trees and the claimed damage. (AI image) An Australian homeowner who blamed six trees on neighbouring property for damage to her 130-year-old heritage home has failed in her claim for tree removal and about $23,650 in repair costs. The NSW Land and Environment … Read more

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

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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 consequences that stretched far beyond anyone’s expectations. Nearly two centuries later, possums have become one of the … Read more

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

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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 natural breakwaters at New York’s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, helping protect newly planted … Read more

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

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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 forest, researchers turned up the heat, not for days or weeks, but for years. Beneath the trees, heating cables warmed the … Read more

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

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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 changed last month after the city selected the tulip poplar as its new official tree, replacing … Read more

Ugandan communities planted 4,053 trees beside one of Africa’s great rainforests; now the new forest is rebuilding a damaged wildlife buffer

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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 around one of Africa’s most important rainforest landscapes. The work aims to improve habitat, support local livelihoods and reduce pressure on … Read more

Denmark planted trees for carbon storage, but 21 years later natural forests proved more diverse while plantations captured carbon faster

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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. Plantations accumulated tree biomass and captured carbon faster, while naturally colonised forests developed greater diversity and more varied ecological structures. The University … Read more