https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The boreal forest—the world's largest terrestrial biome—is warming faster than any other forest type. To understand the changing dynamics of boreal forests, Min Feng and colleagues analyzed the biome from 1985 to 2020, leveraging the longest and highest-resolution satellite record of calibrated tree cover to date. The study, published in Biogeosciences with four co-authors from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, confirms a northward shift in boreal forest cover over the past four decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-satellite-boreal-forests-shifted-north.html Environment Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:50:01 EST news689867321 Forest soils have an important role in protecting our climate: They remove large quantities of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—from our atmosphere. Researchers from the University of Göttingen and the Baden-Württemberg Forest Research Institute (FVA) have evaluated the world's most comprehensive data set on methane uptake by forest soils. They discovered that under certain climate conditions, which may become more common in the future, forest soils' capacity to absorb methane actually increases. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-forest-soils-methane-atmosphere-term.html Earth Sciences Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:37:45 EST news689441821 There has been much global discussion about the best ways to manage Earth's forests in an era of climate change and more frequent bushfires. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-victoria-mountain-ash-forests-naturally.html Ecology Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:31:01 EST news689423402 Reforested areas in the Baza (Granada) and Los Filabres (Almería) mountain ranges have experienced severe die-offs in recent years, with extensive woodland loss. Needle or leaf loss (defoliation) is one of the best indicators of tree health, particularly in pine forests under stress. When trees lose their needles, or leaves, their photosynthetic capacity deteriorates significantly, reducing growth and often leading to mortality. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mediterranean-needle-loss-efficient-forest.html Ecology Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:10:01 EST news689350037 A new analysis shows that the Pacific Northwest's mature and old-growth forests are most at risk of severe wildfire in areas that historically burned frequently at lower severity. The study by scientists at Oregon State University and USDA Forest Service Research & Development is important because those forests are culturally, economically and ecologically significant, supporting biodiversity while storing vast amounts of carbon, and they are under increasing threat of stand-replacing wildfire. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-growth-wildfire-highest-severity.html Environment Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:00:03 EST news689356142 New research led by a University of Oregon ecologist suggests that fire was historically more frequent in the Douglas fir forests of the western Oregon Cascade Range than previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-western-cascades-forests-historically-previously.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:15:36 EST news689321702 A major breakthrough has been achieved in the fight against the invasive polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), Euwallacea fornicatus in Western Australia. Researchers at Murdoch University have successfully established the first stable laboratory colony of PSHB in the state. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-successful-lab-colony-polyphagous-shot.html Plants & Animals Sun, 01 Feb 2026 05:50:01 EST news689003193 Argentina's government on Thursday declared an emergency in Patagonia, where wildfires have ripped through vast tracts of forest since the start of the Southern Hemisphere summer. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-argentina-declares-emergency-patagonia-wildfires.html Environment Fri, 30 Jan 2026 03:00:01 EST news688964104 New research shows that the mere smell of predators is enough to change deer behavior and limit browsing damage to tree saplings. The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, offer a potential tool for forest recovery and highlight the important role large predators play. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-lynx-deer-browsing-recovering-forests.html Plants & Animals Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:00:01 EST news688726078 Deforestation is having a more devastating effect on the Amazon rainforest than earlier data suggested. While cutting down large swaths of trees destroys vital habitats, it also harms the region's ability to generate its own rainfall. According to a new study published in the journal Nature, the Amazon could reach a tipping point and experience major forest dieback (where large areas of the rainforest dry out and turn into a savanna) sooner than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-deforestation-drying-amazon-rainforest-faster.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:30:01 EST news688832237 Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. A University of Waterloo scientist and a team of international collaborators found that airborne mineral dust and other aerosols are directly connected to how much algae grows on the ice. The algae interfere with albedo, or the reflection of the sun's rays, exacerbating melting. The work is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mineral-greenland-ice-sheet-algae.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:45:05 EST news688826667 Mangrove forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, particularly within the marine carbon system. Growing along tropical and subtropical coastlines, these salt-tolerant trees are among nature's most efficient "blue carbon" sinks, capturing and burying vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm Earth's atmosphere. Much of this carbon is stored in thick, waterlogged soils, where it can remain locked away for centuries, making mangroves a major contributor to long-term coastal carbon sequestration. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mangrove-methane-emissions-forests-powerful.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:00:01 EST news688647653 For thousands of years, one tree species defined the cultural and ecological identity of what is now the American South: the longleaf pine. The forest once stretched across 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, but about 5% of that original forest remains. It was one of North America's richest ecosystems, and it nearly disappeared. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-people-history-south-iconic-longleaf.html Ecology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:27:29 EST news688742762 In recent years, Nepal has been heralded as a global leader in community-based forest conservation. By handing over nearly a third of its nationally owned forest to local villagers in the 1980s, the country reversed years of deforestation and effectively doubled its forest cover between 1992 and 2016. For many in rural Nepal, these forests are a lifeline, providing essential subsistence resources such as firewood for cooking and fodder for livestock. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nepal-green-success-story-hidden.html Environment Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:21:32 EST news688648861 Life in the ocean runs on light. It fuels photosynthesis, shapes food webs and determines where many marine species can live. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-threat-marine-darkwaves-ocean-life.html Ecology Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:10:05 EST news688222876 Chile is reeling from one of its most serious wildfire emergencies in years. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-chile-wildfires-faster-hotter.html Environment Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:10:01 EST news688304552 A critique from a team led by Utah State University ecologist Dan MacNulty and published in Forest Ecology and Management has prompted a formal correction to a high-profile study on aspen recovery while raising broader questions about how scientific conclusions are drawn and defended in complex ecological systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-highlights-yellowstone-aspen-ecosystem-response.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:36:31 EST news688286161 Oregon State University researchers have painted a clearer picture of the coastal marten, a secretive, ferret-sized forest carnivore renowned for its cuteness but nearly driven to extinction by human activity in the 20th century. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-marten-rare-adorable-carnivore.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:52:18 EST news688236721 U.S. forests have stored more carbon in the past two decades than at any time in the last century, an increase attributable to a mix of natural factors and human activity, finds a new study. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-forests-carbon-natural-human-factors.html Earth Sciences Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:33:35 EST news688221181 The Northwest Forest Plan, adopted in 1994, helped quell mounting tensions between timber companies and environmentalists. It protected large swaths of old-growth forest in Washington, Oregon and California to preserve habitat for endangered species, including the Northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-qa-wildfire-northwest-forests-highlights.html Environment Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:26:47 EST news688220761 New UBC Okanagan research shows that wildfire can change how much water remains in streams during the driest months of the year. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-creeks-temporarily-stronger-wildfire.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:31:41 EST news688149062 Increasing heat and drought are putting our forests under stress. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) have used drone imagery to investigate how native tree species are responding to climate change. This measurement method opens up new possibilities for monitoring forests over large areas and documenting species-specific strategies for coping with drought. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-drought-stress-trees-air.html Ecology Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:58:34 EST news688147082 An international team of researchers has mapped a new way forward to monitor the health of the planet by listening to the soil beneath our feet. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-soil-ecoacoustics-global-effort-underground.html Ecology Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:00:01 EST news688046186 The climate warmed up almost as quickly 56 million years ago as it is doing now. When a huge amount of CO2 entered the atmosphere in a short period of time, it led to large-scale forest fires and erosion. Mei Nelissen, Ph.D. candidate at NIOZ and UU, and her colleagues were able to see this very clearly in the layers of sediment drilled off the Norwegian coast. The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on January 19. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ancient-surge-triggered-widespread-forest.html Earth Sciences Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:00:05 EST news687788889 Valery Kyembo was leading an inspection of his community's protected forest reserve deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining belt when two armed Congolese soldiers blocked their way. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-forests-threat-drc-lucrative-belt.html Environment Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:00:01 EST news687783008 While a wealth of nutrient export models exists, a knowledge gap persists regarding how climate and land-use changes specifically drive dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export in subtropical catchments. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-climate-nitrogen-pollution-rivers.html Earth Sciences Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:40:32 EST news687782402 The well-being benefits of nature are often linked to forests or habitats that support diverse pollinators. Spending time in green spaces reduces stress and anxiety, for example. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-seagrass-meadows-good-health-theyre.html Plants & Animals Thu, 15 Jan 2026 19:10:02 EST news687694118 As climate change drives more frequent and severe wildfires across boreal forests in Alaska and northwestern Canada, scientists are asking a critical question: Will these ecosystems continue to store carbon or become a growing source of carbon emissions? https://phys.org/news/2026-01-deciduous-tree-dominance-wildfire-carbon.html Earth Sciences Thu, 15 Jan 2026 05:00:05 EST news687606797 For many years, I lived in the Indian city of Chennai, where the summer temperatures can reach up to 44° C. With a population of 4.5 million, this coastal city is humid and hot. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-india-urban-forests-cool-cities.html Environment Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:51:22 EST news687624661 A new study suggests that with low to moderate levels of global greenhouse emissions in coming decades, more of India could become suitable for growing avocadoes. However, with high enough emissions, growing zones could shrink and destabilize by 2070. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-avocadoes-easier-india-global-emissions.html Agriculture Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:01 EST news687541261