Happy Arbor Day everyone! Celebrate trees today with the latest Forest Digest!

• In Northwest, A Push To Protect Forest As Geothermal Projects Near — NPR
  The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state will open more than 80,000 acres of land for geothermal power development. Up to 20,000 homes could be powered by just one geothermal plant and the U.S. Forest Service expects other local utilities to apply for more plant permits soon.

• Predicting Tropical Deforestation With Big Data — Discovery
  Conservationists and data scientists are joining forces to find out when and where deforestation will occur by using satellite imagery and new algorithms. The interactive map will allow government officials and conservation organizations to get ahead of illegal logging, which is expected to help save vital habitat and positively influence the climate.

• Top 10 ways well-managed forests and SFI make a world of difference — treehugger
  The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is a nonprofit that prides itself on making a difference in the health of the planet by promoting sustainable forest management practices. These practices have helped maintain the ecosystem services of forests ranging from providing new scientific data to enhancing communities with a beautiful natural area.

• Dry, warm conditions keep California’s national forests parched — Los Angeles Times
  California’s drought is not just affecting the human inhabitants; their 18 national forests are also suffering. Wildfire risks are increasing and the trees are water starved, and with only 5% of the snowpack left, conditions are not predicted to get better anytime soon.

• This trippy map shows all of NYC’s street trees — grist
  New York City is known for many things, but know they can be known for their street trees thanks to this new interactive map. The map allows viewers to locate each of the 592,130 street trees within the five boroughs and see the distribution of a total of 52 species.

• McDonald’s Pledges to Eliminate Deforestation From Its Entire Supply Chain — Huffington Post Green
  Deforestation is a big issue when it comes to palm oil production and cattle ranching, but mainstream media has helped focus attention on this issues. As a result, major companies have pledged to remove palm oil from their supply chains, but McDonald’s has gone a step further and will remove ALL deforestation from ANY source from their supply chains.

• Kermit? New species of glass frog found — USA Today
  Costa Rica now has a new species of glass frog that resembles the beloved Kermit the Frog and thus named for it. All frogs, including this new species, are known as indicator species in the science community, meaning they can tell us about the health of the ecosystem in which they live, making Costa Rica’s 14 species of glass frogs extremely important.