It can be hard to turn down a two-for-one deal. But this kind of bargain isn’t just benefitting your wallet; it can benefit the environment too! A new methodology tool has been developed to help restore wetlands along the Gulf Coast while also establishing the grounds for a carbon offset market. Tierra Resources, a small [...]
In 1788 on this date, Massachusetts became our sixth “state” — it’s technically one of four commonwealths in the United States. Despite being one of America’s smallest states by land area, Massachusetts still boasts 11 national wildlife refuges, whose habitats include wetlands, forests, marshes, bogs and savannas. So much diversity in such a small place!
If you follow environmental science at all, you already know that there’s a lot more we don’t know about how nature works than we actually do. When a new theory is introduced, I’m always interested because there’s that chance that it will explain some mystery people have been wondering about for ages — or (sometimes [...]
Today is World Wetlands Day. For more than a decade, countries around the world have celebrated wetlands on February 2 in remembrance of the 1971 signing of the Convention of Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran. Why do we celebrate wetlands every year? Where to begin? Wetlands is the broad term used to describe areas that often [...]
Fun Fact: The USDA Forest Service was formed on this day in 1905, which means the agency is now 107 years old. Happy Birthday! And even after a century of work, the agency is still looking for ways to improve. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! Last week, the Forest Service [...]
One thing that constantly amazes me about the environment is the staggering amount of diversity that you find in nature. Just the other day, this amazement resurfaced when the International Institute for Species Exploration released its “State of Observed Species” (SOS) report for 2011. This report sums up all of the species that we already [...]
For years now, there have been studies and concerns about mercury levels in our oceans and bodies of water and how they affect aquatic life and consequently those of us that rely on fish and shellfish for sustenance — from children to birds and fish-eating mammals. But these studies hadn’t really examined mercury’s affect on [...]
Yesterday, the state of Michigan celebrated its 175th birthday — it joined the Union on January 26, 1837. Around half this state is covered with forest, about 19 million acres of it. With that amount of forest coverage, it isn’t surprising that Michigan boasts a crazy number of state and national parks and forests. It [...]
As covered in the autumn issue of American Forests, tree rings tell compelling stories. Far from just revealing a tree’s age, they record natural events like volcano eruptions, the history of civilizations like the Roman and Aztec Empires and other moments in time. And, now, they make music. Yes, you read that right: music. German [...]
Wyoming is exactly what I envision as the great American West; a region of the country I have yet to (but want very much want to) visit. The western half of the state is covered by the Rocky Mountains and rangelands, while the eastern part of the state is mostly high-elevation prairie. The state is [...]
