Forest ecosystems are complex, multiscale ecological systems dominated by tree communities and structured by vertical stratification (canopy, understory, forest floor) that regulate energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, and habitat availability. They integrate interactions among primary producers, heterotrophs, decomposers, and abiotic factors such as climate, soils, and hydrology, resulting in distinct successional dynamics and disturbance regimes (e.g., fire, windthrow, pest outbreaks). Forest ecosystems play central roles in carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water regulation, exhibit high spatial heterogeneity and biodiversity, and are key model systems for studying resilience, feedbacks between vegetation and climate, and anthropogenic impacts such as fragmentation, land-use change, and altered disturbance frequencies.
Forest trees growing in air containing higher levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) radically change the way they "cycle" nitrogen, a key plant nutrient, with implications for forests as a nature-based climate solution.
Plants & Animals
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Most of the carbon released during Canada's record-breaking 2023 wildfire season came from burning soil and peat, rather than trees, according to new research from McMaster University.
Earth Sciences
Jul 27, 2026
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The need for a national deer management strategy to manage the decline of native forests is highlighted in a new research paper published today in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology. Led by Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University ...
Ecology
Jul 27, 2026
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Northern Eurasia contains about 20% of the world's forests and plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide, thereby acting as a major carbon sink. However, understanding the region's ...
Environment
Jul 26, 2026
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Swidden agriculture—often called "slash-and-burn"—has been practiced on every inhabited continent throughout human history, and for decades it has been blamed for the destruction of the world's rainforests. However, a new ...
Environment
Jul 25, 2026
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The American chestnut tree was a dominant and iconic species in many Appalachian forests until it was devastated by an introduced fungus from Asia called chestnut blight.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 22, 2026
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A new study found that giant sequoias were nearly four times as likely to survive extreme wildfires in forests managed with prescribed burns, which decrease tree mortality. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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As COVID-19 disrupted rural economies, communities living near protected rainforests faced rising uncertainty about jobs, health and basic needs. A new study in The Lancet Planetary Health shows that when communities were ...
Environment
Jul 21, 2026
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When fire risk is high, Arizonans know the major warning signs: hot temperatures, low humidity and lots of wind.
Environment
Jul 21, 2026
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With nearly 1,000 active fires and an area as large as Belgium already burned, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country is facing one of the "most intense" wildfire seasons in its history.
Environment
Jul 20, 2026
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