The ways in which forests safeguard our planet are endless. And yet, we read and hear so much about some of them — like forests’ role as carbon sinks in combating climate change — that others can sometimes be overlooked. A study published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences serves as [...]
Stalactites, stalagmites, an 89-foot column known as the Monarch and 400,000 bats. There are a lot of things Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, which turns 73 today, is known for. When I visited last summer, I — like most visitors — headed straight for the caverns to see this underground wonderland for myself. [...]
One of the nation’s best-loved national parks celebrates its birthday tomorrow. Glacier National Park was signed into existence on May 11, 1910. Since then, its blue and green vistas have been inspiring visitors every summer. American Forests was instrumental in helping to establish the National Park System, and we still support it today. We want [...]
It’s been a discouraging few weeks for climate change in the news. First, we learned that atmospheric levels of CO2 have reached 400ppm for the first time in three million years. If that milestone wasn’t enough to put climate on your mind, new research out of the Lawrence Berkley National Lab has called into question [...]
At American Forests, we spend a lot of time talking about, thinking about and working to protect whitebark pine, a keystone species in the high-elevation West, as it struggles with disease and infestation, compounded by rising average temperatures. Maybe that’s why the story of another species of white pine facing its own set of struggles [...]
Last September, Michelle shared a story that pulled our heartstrings: the tale of Chips, an orphaned bobcat kitten who was rescued by workers after losing her mother and suffering second-degree burns and an eye infection in the Chips Fire in California’s Plumas National Forest. As you may recall, the young Chips was recovering at Lake [...]
As sci-fi as it sounds, the news that trees make noise beyond the human range of hearing — and that some of these noises communicate important messages to other organisms — is not new. Studies have shown, for example, that some plants release pollen in response to bees’ buzzing. But could trees be saying anything [...]
It’s not news that time in the great outdoors is good for your brain. We’ve written before about how exposure to nature is good for creative problem solving and mental health. But how can we determine how much of this relationship is causal when there could be other reasons for correlation? Well, a new study [...]
American Bird Conservancy’s current Bird of the Week has been drawing a lot of attention. For the second time, they have declared the bird of the week to be the peep — that marshmallow treat so popular this time of year. Though the peep has earned the honor once before, in 2011, only the yellow [...]
Happy World Water Day, everyone, Yesterday, we celebrated the International Day of Forests, declared as such by the UN just last year. But today is another important day, which was first designated by the UN way back in 1993. It’s World Water Day, a day to reflect on the importance of freshwater and to advocate [...]
