View From The Canopy #34
Hello and welcome to issue #34 of View From The Canopy newsletter. The headline of the story widely published in many news outlets about forests growing back ‘the size of France’ is quite misleading as it fails to mention the next crucial part: “but the gains did not make up for losses elsewhere”. In other news this week: ghost trees! 👻
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News articles 📰
[WORLD]
Forests as big as France have grown back since 2000, research shows
From Mongolia to southern Brazil, forests big enough to cover France have grown back during the last 20 years, but the gains did not make up for losses elsewhere, a study found on Tuesday.
[CANADA]
B.C. ‘shouldn’t have approved’ plan that failed to protect Nahmint old-growth forests: watchdog
A three-year review by the forest practices board found the provincial government did not meet its legal objective to protect ecosystems and ancient forests in a treasured Vancouver Island watershed.
[CANADA]
Chainsaw massacre: tree poaching hits Canada amid lumber shortage
Officials on Vancouver Island say at least 100 trees have been illegally cut down, leaving one stump with a face carved into it.
[USA]
Forest Service halts huge clearcutting and roadbuilding plan next to Yellowstone National Park
Following a challenge by multiple conservation groups, the U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday that it was halting a plan to clearcut more than 4,600 acres of native forests, log across an additional 9,000 acres and bulldoze up to 56 miles of road on lands just outside Yellowstone National Park in the Custer Gallatin National Forest.
[UGANDA]
Campaigners lose court case to stop Ugandan forest clearance
Conservationists in Uganda have condemned as “shallow and absurd” a court ruling that authorised the government to allow swathes of a tropical forest to be cleared for a sugar-cane plantation.
Opinion 💬
Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
As the world searches for solutions to global climate change, tree planting has become increasingly popular, with ambitious campaigns aiming to plant billions or trillions of trees.
These projects often have other environmental goals, too, like regulating water cycles, halting soil erosion and restoring wildlife habitat. They also often have socioeconomic goals, like alleviating poverty.
But how effective is planting trees at accomplishing all this, and how strong is the evidence for this effectiveness? To find out, Mongabay engaged a team of researchers who conducted a non-exhaustive review of relevant scientific literature.
Research & Reports 🔬
Silvopasture; Or, Why Are There Cows in the Woods?
Cows belong in pastures, right? While that image is idyllic, farmers and conservationists in the southeast United States are bringing their cows into the forest to benefit longleaf pine restoration projects.
How to develop the urban forest
Urbanisation is identified as one of the key pressures driving biodiversity loss. However, there is realistic potential for development to contribute to nature’s recovery.
Research Reveals Clean Air Makes Stronger Forests
Air pollution can actually cause forests to grow faster, as the nitrogen in acid rain is a fertilizer. The problem is, it makes the trees weaker and more susceptible to storm damage.
That’s according to West Virginia University postdoctoral researcher Chris Walter’s research into the subject. His research was made possible by the coincidence of a localized storm that hit directly on top of a forest research project. Walter’s paper was recently published in the journal Forests and he spoke with Eric Douglas to explain what it all means for West Virginia.
read at WV Public Broadcasting
Featured Forest ✨
Deadvlei, Namibia
Photo © JP Desvigne
This weeks featured forest is the Deadvlei Forest in Namibia. Deadvlei is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei, inside the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia. Also written DeadVlei or Dead Vlei, its name means "dead marsh".
The clay pan was formed after rainfall, when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating temporary shallow pools where the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area, and sand dunes encroached on the pan, which blocked the river from the area.
The trees died, as there no longer was enough water to survive. There are some species of plants remaining, such as salsola and clumps of nara, adapted to surviving off the morning mist and very rare rainfall. The remaining skeletons of the trees, which are believed to have died 600–700 years ago (ca. 1340-1430), are now black because the intense sun has scorched them. Though not petrified, the wood does not decompose because it is so dry.
Miscellaneous 🍂
[WEBINAR]
Finding the Mother Tree: A Conversation with Suzanne Simard
This May 19 free webinar will celebrate an important new book and the wisdom of the forest.
register free at Sierra Club B.C.
‘Odd, eerie and haunting’: behind Maya Lin’s Manhattan ghost forest
The famed artist and architect draws attention to climate change’s biodiversity loss with a forest of dying Atlantic cedars in New York.
Trees and flowers sprout leaves at different times in the spring. Why is that?
Have you ever noticed that some sprouts and flowers appear much earlier in the spring than others? Or have you ever wondered why one tree will have boughs full of leaves while another stands there sad and seemingly lifeless?
An expert explains why springtime is a bit like Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare.
Selected Book 📚
Woody Plants of the Northern Forest: A Photographic Guide
by Jerry Jenkins
The Northern Forest Region lies between the oak forests of the eastern United States and the boreal forests of eastern Canada. It is, collectively, one of the largest and most continuous temperate forests left in the world and, like much of the biosphere, it is at risk. This guide is an essential companion for those interested in stewardship and conservation of the region.
Through multi-image composite photos that allow for unparalleled depth and clarity, this unique guide illustrates the majority of the 265 species of woody plants present in the forest and its associated communities. With a visual glossary, nineteen quick guides, and five systematic sections, this book is intended as a quick reference for the rapid identification of twigs and leaves. It is an invaluable tool for foresters and an excellent teaching guide for all ages.
Until next week ✌️
I hope you enjoyed the view from the canopy. If you've come across any interesting articles or you've written something yourself please hit reply and let me know about them.
See you next week!
Cheers,
Johan
🌳