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 review led by the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has revealed that tiny ground-dwelling invertebrates are overlooked but important seed dispersers, challenging the traditional focus on ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 3, 2026
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What's the best way to manage a forest? Australians have argued about this for decades. The debate is often framed as binary: Do we protect forests entirely, or harvest trees to support local economies and communities?
Plants & Animals
Jul 31, 2026
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Satellite-derived maps of defoliation caused by European spongy moths—a devastating U.S. forest pest that consumes the leaves of a wide variety of trees—offer a promising solution for tracking where and when to spray and ...
Ecology
Jul 30, 2026
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Research involving the UAB and CREAF has examined the factors that help forests maintain stable productivity over time and concluded that water and biodiversity are key determinants.
Ecology
Jul 30, 2026
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5
New research from the University of Cambridge offers an easy and readily available solution using AI and satellite data. In a paper published in the journal Science of Remote Sensing, researchers used embeddings by Tessera, ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2026
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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
Jul 29, 2026
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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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8
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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26
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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10
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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