Urban areas are growing in size–and with them, the number of trees influenced by city life. While development often leads to deforestation, there are still a significant number of trees growing in the shadow of cities. According to a report released in 2000, 2.8% of tree canopy cover in the U.S. is in cities, and [...]

As go the elephants, so go the trees. That’s the message of a new study published in the May 2013 issue of Forest Ecology and Management that found more than a dozen elephant-dependent tree species suffered catastrophic population declines in new plant growths after forest elephants were nearly extirpated from their ecosystems. The fruit-bearing trees [...]

How does dressing up in a really bad gorilla costume help to save endangered mountain gorillas? Well, it’s not actually the costume itself that’s important; it’s what the man inside the costume is also carrying. Take a look at the photo to the left. In one hand, the costumed gorilla holds an energy-efficient stove. In [...]

How’s this for luck? Two tree species that scientists believed were extinct—twice—have been rediscovered in a remote area of Tanzania. According to a paper published in the Journal of East African Natural History, the two species were rediscovered in the remote, highly fragmented and rarely explored Namatimbili–Ngarama Forest, 35 kilometers inland from the Indian Ocean. [...]

Frankincense—that aromatic staple of the original Christmas story—could soon be “doomed” to near-extinction, according to research published December 21 in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Frankincense is an aromatic resin used in perfumes and incense. It comes from trees of the Boswellia genus, which grow mostly in the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula. The [...]

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) are at risk of extinction due to climate change and invasive species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared on Monday, but the trees will not be added to the endangered species list because other as yet protected species are a “higher priority.” (In other words, there’s just not enough [...]

In 2009 six weeks of wildfires in Victoria, Australia, killed 173 people and injured hundreds more, but the fires may have also led to the resurrection of a rare tree that was previously on a path to extinction. Only about 670 Buxton silver gum trees (Eucalyptus crenulata) were left in the wild before the devastating [...]

A new study suggests that we might be thinking about tree climbing in our recent ancestors all wrong. The traditional idea that our ancestors descended from the trees and gradually—and exclusively—began walking upright might be a gross over simplification. Fossil evidence from early hominins suggests that adaptations for tree climbing, such as long arms and [...]

It’s that time again: time to take a hike and enjoy the splendid fall foliage. Or, if you live in a tourist town like I do, time to see “leaf peepers” driving their cars aimlessly throughout the countryside searching for a stand of incredibly red maples or golden oaks. If climate change continues on its [...]

I think I have found my photographic calling, taking pictures of palm trees. I swear they love my camera. I am actually considering submitting one of my Golden Palm photos to the National Geographic Photo contest. I’m really proud of some of my photos. And my time here is winding down. I fly back home [...]

Today’s Wordless Wednesday was inspired by yesterday’s post: Urban Science Adventure: Art and Science of Autumn Leaves. This star-shaped leaf is from a Sweetgum tree. This leaf shape is also called palmate, since it resembles the palm of the hand.  All of the leaf veins for each of the ‘fingers’ or points of the star all [...]