FOR REASONS WE CAN’T EXPLAIN, TREES CARE
Trees partner with the human species as much as humanity embraces the partnership.
THE MORE PEOPLE HEAL, THE MORE THEY WANT TO HEAL NATURE
LIVING NEAR TREES MAY IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH
“‘Most of us intuitively understand that nature is good for our health. But scientific research testing, verifying and evaluating this connection is rare,’ said Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist of The Nature Conservancy. ‘These recent findings from the Green Heart Project build the scientific case for the powerful connections between the health of our planet and the health of all of us.’” cont
‘A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES’: HOW THE LANDMARK TREE IS FARING A YEAR AFTER MAUI WILDFIRE
This is the story of how Maui residents saved the Lahaina banyan tree after the deadliest wildfire in more than a century leveled their community. cont
TREES HAVE AN EXTRA CLIMATE BENEFIT THANKS TO METHANE-EATING MICROBES
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is converted to CO2 by microbes in tree bark, meaning trees are even better for the climate than we thought. cont
TREE-PLANTING PROJECT MEMORIALISING BLACK LIVES LOST BRINGS 40,000 TREES TO URBAN CENTRES ACROSS THE US
The community-driven living monument from MIT Media Lab’s Poetic Justice will include an evolving, digitally networked story archive.
“‘Poetic Justice aims to create art at the scale of the issues we are addressing,’ says Ekene Ijeoma, an artist and the founder of Poetic Justice, which uses art, public engagement and computational systems to research and amplify social, environmental and political issues. ‘Our work is multi-sited, public, networked and community-driven to try to address these issues at scale.’
Ijeoma conceived of Black Forest after seeing a tree that had been chopped down and left for days, which reminded him of the murder of Michael Brown, a Black teenager who was shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, his body left in the street for several hours. Black Forest addresses the ongoing issue of violence against Black people, as well as the inequalities pervasive in the US healthcare and political systems, issues brought to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project’s nationwide scope reflects the level and reach of the disproportionate effects of these issues. ‘Covid-19 affected all 50 states,’ Ijeoma explains. ‘It didn’t have any boundaries, so it didn’t make sense for the project to have them.’” cont
‘THE PROJECT IS A SUCCESS’: MAIN BEACH USING CHRISTMAS TREES TO RESTORE SAND DUNES AFTER COASTAL STORMS
Donated trees from the Christmas holiday are restoring Maine's coastline.
“By using Christmas trees, the needles can help sand stick and stay in place. Dune grass helps sand stay in place, but in December 2023 and early January 2024, rounds of coastal storms churned up the ocean, and most of the dunes, along with the dune grass and driftwood, were all destroyed.
Now, after months since the Christmas Tree donations, officials made rows of trees, more than 500 of them to be exact. These rows help mimic natural progression of sand dunes.
‘Once the trees become covered, then it helps build natural ridges in the sand and trapping it in place. We had hoped to see a bit more sand than what there is, but this is a success. You can see the rows are defined, the ridging is there and there is sand. The dune grass is growing. Eventually, we will see more rows and more grass,’ Slovinsky said. ‘We had planned on putting four rows of trees, but at the time the river that leads into the ocean was further up near the lifeguard post. Now, what we have noticed of significance is the river is now facing more seaward, and we have more beach. So now, that the river is backing downwards, we have more beach than what we had months ago.’” cont
EASTERN U.S. FORESTS ARE CRITICAL TO MEETING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION TARGETS AND ARE MORE RESILIENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Projects exploring forest-based climate solutions are exploding in Central Appalachia, the worldwide model for how forested communities will transition from fossil fuel extraction economies
“Researchers at West University are working to ensure small landowners and local communities, instead of large corporations, profit from the ability of Central Appalachian forests to remove greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
So-called ‘forest-based climate solution programs’ manage forest ecosystems in a way that enhances carbon storage by planting trees, for example, or by restricting logging. To ensure these programs benefit both forests and local communities, a WVU team will spend the next four years investigating how different management practices affect Appalachian forest life — from the trees and other flora that grow there to the loggers, farmers, trail riders and ginseng gatherers who are also part of those ecosystems.
The project is supported by $1.7 million from the National Science Foundation.
‘To curb climate change, we have to reduce fossil fuel emissions. But we can also take advantage of our forests’ ability to remove the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and store it long term in wood and soils,’ said Steven Kannenberg, assistant professor of biology at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. ‘In particular, the forests of the eastern U.S. are an incredibly large carbon sink. The amount of carbon dioxide they capture is equivalent to 40-60% of the region’s fossil fuel emissions.’ cont
“THIS WATER RIGHT HERE IS ACTUALLY WHAT GIVES LIFE TO EVERYTHING, INCLUDING US,” WIKIRIWHI SHOUTS FROM THE RIVER.
The three friends are clearing out the river, which has become stagnant and full of toxic algae blooms due to invasive weeds and broken branches. It’s important work, says Parkin-Rae, because clean waterways allow native plants and wildlife to flourish.
They are among a growing community of Māori who are working to counter the catastrophic effects of climate change, which is eroding the country’s shores, destroying its biodiversity, fueling extreme weather and threatening to displace entire communities.
It’s an existential threat felt across the world, but it’s more pronounced on island nations like Aotearoa, the indigenous word for New Zealand, and among native people like Māori, whose culture and livelihood are rooted in the environment. cont