Wide variety of old-growth ecosystems across the US makes their conservation a complex challenge

Effective conservation of old-growth ecosystems will work best if it considers their varied ecology.

Reed Frederick Noss, Conservation Science Coordinator, University of Florida • conversation
April 16, 2025 ~9 min

Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought

Fires are a natural part of the landscape and essential for many species. But scores of fires at once were more than anyone bargained for.

Nick Corak, Ph.D. Candidate in Physics, Wake Forest University • conversation
March 5, 2025 ~6 min


North American forests are actually burning less, not more

Tree-ring data reveals a decline in fire activity in many forests. That can contribute to more severe wildfires in the future.

U. Arizona • futurity
March 3, 2025 ~6 min

Maple seeds’ unique spinning motion allows them to travel far even in the rain, a new study shows

Spinning maple seeds can shed raindrops in the blink of an eye to regain their helicopter-like flight.

Andrew Dickerson, Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
Feb. 28, 2025 ~5 min

How America courted increasingly destructive wildfires − and what that means for protecting homes today

In many parts of the US, Americans must learn to live with fire. That means careful decisions on where homes are built and what’s around them, and allowing more low-risk fires to burn.

Justin Angle, Professor of Marketing, University of Montana • conversation
Jan. 16, 2025 ~11 min

Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

In emergencies, dumping ocean water on fires may be the best option. But seawater can have long-term effects on equipment and ecosystems, as a novel coastal experiment shows.

Patrick Megonigal, Associate Director of Research, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
Jan. 13, 2025 ~6 min

Nature benefits when logged tropical forests are left to recover – here’s how

While tropical forests are home to rare species, logged forests still feel and sound like forests, while oil palm plantations are agricultural landscapes.

Edgar Turner, Professor of Insect Ecology, University of Cambridge • conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 ~7 min

Tropical forests can be revived after logging – if they’re not turned into oil palm plantations

While tropical forests are home to rare species, logged forests still feel and sound like forests, while oil palm plantations are agricultural landscapes.

Edgar Turner, Professor of Insect Ecology, University of Cambridge • conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 ~7 min


After wildfires, ranchers face 2-year delay to graze cattle on federal land – is it doing more harm than good?

That delay can tip ranchers’ finances into the red. While the land needs time to recover, studies raise questions about whether two years is really necessary.

Jared L. Talley, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Boise State University • conversation
Dec. 16, 2024 ~8 min

Study uncovers earliest evidence of humans using fire to shape the landscape of Tasmania

Some of the first human beings to arrive in Tasmania, over 41,000 years ago, used fire to shape and manage the landscape, about 2,000 years earlier than

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Nov. 15, 2024 ~5 min

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