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 fires now burn 10 times more acreage annually than in 1985, while wildfire severity has gotten even worse. In California, 30 times more acreage burned from high-severity, forest-killing fires, according to new UCLA ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 22, 2026
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The Australian government has agreed to invest almost $53 million in a north Tasmanian company that will upgrade its coal-fired kiln to burn wood "waste" and used tires for cement manufacturing.
Environment
Jun 19, 2026
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Birdwatching is one of the most common and popular ways people experience nature. But it's not often that even the most enthusiastic birdwatcher returns to the same place more than 800 times to witness the changes over four ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 17, 2026
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In recent years, several populations of the deciduous tree Betula costata have been identified in central Japan. Since this species is morphologically similar to closely related taxa, particularly Betula ermanii, its presence ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 15, 2026
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It's intuitive to think that if a tree is photosynthesizing, it's also growing. But that's not necessarily so—and a new study of oak trees, published in the journal Science Advances, found that even as they photosynthesize ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2026
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Disorder brings more life to the forest: Birds and bats react to this in different ways. This is shown by a new study from the University of Würzburg's Biocenter.
Plants & Animals
Jun 11, 2026
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People's knee-jerk reaction to seeing death in nature is often not positive. The burn scar left by wildfire on a once-forested hillside, or a ghostly white coral reef, may evoke tragedy and despair. But in nature, most plants ...
Ecology
Jun 11, 2026
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Ireland's native woodland scheme, which was introduced by the government in 2001, is successfully bringing back biodiversity. But the country still struggles to meet its tree-planting targets. The reason? Policy doesn't always ...
Ecology
Jun 11, 2026
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A collaborative study has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the endangered Bornean ferret badger (Melogale everetti). Weighing only around one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the Bornean ferret badger is a small, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 10, 2026
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As conservationists seek to maintain biodiversity levels in tropical coffee landscapes, data indicate the presence and quality of surrounding forest habitat may play a larger role than previously thought. New research from ...
Ecology
Jun 10, 2026
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