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.
A new study from Colorado State University, Western Colorado University and the U.S. Forest Service found evidence that stands of aspen trees could resist wildfires by slowing a fire's advance or changing its course.
Ecology
Jul 16, 2025
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Forests, grasslands, and other natural areas around the world have access to about a quarter less nitrogen than previously estimated, according to a new study published in Nature.
Ecology
Jul 16, 2025
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Oak trees change their fine roots and "energize" soil microbes by supplying them with a cocktail of small organic compounds, all to supplement the trees' supply of essential nutrients when exposed to higher levels of carbon ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 14, 2025
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When sunlight hits clouds or other atmospheric particles, it scatters and becomes diffuse light. Unlike direct sunlight, diffuse light can reach deeper into shaded plant canopies, where plants have dense, layered leaves. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 14, 2025
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Even-aged forest management is geared towards timber production with ecosystem health as a lesser consideration. This creates a dichotomy where forests are treated either as plantations or reserves. Uneven-aged management ...
Forest fragmentation—the division of large, intact woodlands into smaller patches—has emerged as a critical issue in 21st-century global land cover change, with far-reaching implications for ecosystem health. By increasing ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 9, 2025
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A new paper published in Nature Communications reveals how the way tree species are arranged in a forest can help optimize ecosystem functioning and productivity.
Plants & Animals
Jul 9, 2025
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Forests are a crucial resource for carbon mitigation, currently offsetting around 20% of North American carbon emissions. As temperatures continue to rise, scientists are rushing to understand how climate change is affecting ...
The Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) is a nocturnal and arboreal rodent that inhabits the boreal taiga forests from eastern Russia to Finland and Estonia. Despite its wide distribution, little was previously known ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2025
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A study published in People and Nature finds that both sight and sound influence perception of biodiversity, and participants were slightly more accurate when assessing forest biodiversity through sound alone than through ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2025
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