Water-spraying tower is a mobile forest-fire-fighting sprinkler system

When a raging forest fire is approaching a community, a good rainfall greatly reduces the chances of the flames actually reaching the buildings. But if rain isn’t in the forecast … well, that’s where the RainStream tower is designed to come in.Continue… Continue reading Water-spraying tower is a mobile forest-fire-fighting sprinkler system

New type of carbon-capturing wood discovered in nature

Tulip trees have been around for millions of years, but a new analysis of their structure has revealed a previously unknown type of wood. The finding could explain why the trees are great at sequestering carbon and help our efforts to do the same.Conti… Continue reading New type of carbon-capturing wood discovered in nature

Strange trees in world’s oldest forest ripped themselves apart to grow

An artist's impression of a forest full of Calamophyton trees

Scientists have uncovered the oldest fossilized forest, dating back 390 million years to a time when life was just getting a foothold on land. The ancient forest was made up of the first trees to ever grow on Earth – bizarre “prototype” trees that had to rip their skeletons apart in order to grow.

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Avocado robot swings from trees to gather canopy data

Swiss researchers are working on an environmental monitoring robot named Avocado that’s been inspired by abseiling spiders. The fruit-shaped bot uses a winch and rotors to lower itself through the canopy and gather data on life in the treetops.Continue… Continue reading Avocado robot swings from trees to gather canopy data

Roots of life: The 2023 Mangrove Photography Award winners

Mangroves may not be the first thing you picture when you think ‘forest’, but they’re both incredible, unique ecosystems and serve as a kind of structural and water-quality coastguard. And while mangrove forests make up about 0.1% of the planet’s surfa… Continue reading Roots of life: The 2023 Mangrove Photography Award winners

Dual-armed robot lends a helping hand in Amazon reforestation effort

Often referred to as the lungs of the planet, the Amazon rainforest is in trouble – with around a third reported as already gone or degraded. A pocket of resistance in Peru has now been joined by a dual-armed robotic gardener to help with reforestation… Continue reading Dual-armed robot lends a helping hand in Amazon reforestation effort

Amazonian dark earth could bring life back to decimated forestland

Even though the Amazon is still a powerhouse of plant and animal life, about 18% of it has been cut down since the 1970s. Seeking ways to help get some of that lost forestland back, researchers have turned to a rich soil created by the activities of th… Continue reading Amazonian dark earth could bring life back to decimated forestland

Forest fungi overheard talking to each other after rain showers

Whether they’re hacking the brains of bugs or mining for gold, fungi are craftier than we give them credit for. Now researchers in Japan have studied how forest mushrooms communicate with each other, and found that they’re mostly chatty when it rains.C… Continue reading Forest fungi overheard talking to each other after rain showers

Animals that spread seeds found to be pivotal to forest regeneration

The way animals disperse seeds throughout landscapes is known to be an important element in promoting growth of forested areas, and a new study over an extended timeframe has shed valuable new light on this process. Scientists have studied a forest in … Continue reading Animals that spread seeds found to be pivotal to forest regeneration

Enough forest has naturally regrown since 2000 to cover mainland France

In what’s described as the first thorough study to track natural forest expansion, researchers have found that an area larger than mainland France has regenerated since the year 2000. While deforestation continues to pose a grave threat to the world’s … Continue reading Enough forest has naturally regrown since 2000 to cover mainland France