Get ready to end this month in style! See what’s making tree headlines with the latest Forest Digest!
- “Melbourne’s trees bombarded with emailed love letters” — The Guardian
If only trees could talk! Well, in Melbourne, Australia, they can email! As part of a community awareness initiative, the city assigned each of its 70,000 trees with an identification number, which allows citizens to email it. The city found that instead of simply reporting damage to a particular tree, people were sending arbor love letters.
- “Monarch butterfly population makes a modest rebound” — San Francisco Chronicle
Monarch butterflies sure know how to travel! They migrate from Canada to Mexico every winter to nest pine and fir trees. Last year, the monarch population experienced record lows and only covered 1.65 acres of forests—the smallest area in over 20 years. However, despite scientists’ findings that the monarch population rebounded by 69 percent in 2014, these orange- and black beauties are still in danger because of illegal logging in Mexico and climate change.
- “Carbon accumulation by Southeastern forests may slow” — Phys.org
In a recent study by U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Research Station, scientists John Coulston, David Wear and Jim Vose found that fire, disease, cutting and land-use changes all slow the rate of carbon accumulation in forests in the southeastern U.S. While many trees displayed small rate changes when faced with natural disturbances, land-use changes were found to play a more significant role.
- “Society of Conservation Biology and other science societies call on President Obama to save the Tongrass Rainforest” — Society for Conservation Biology
Over 200 scientists and seven leading scientific societies urged the Obama Administration to end logging in the old-growth forest of Alaska’s Tongrass rainforest. The U.S. Forest Service plans to continue its logging for another 10-15 years before switching to second growth forest, which many believe is far too long to wait.
- “What is carbon insetting?” — Mother Nature Network
You’ve heard of carbon offsetting, but what about carbon insetting? The newest carbon reduction, this business method is taking aim at reducing a business’ own supply chain by investing in sustainable activities within the company’s scope.
- “City of Glendale plants trees at park with help from NFL” — The Arizona Republic
In honor of the big game this Sunday, volunteers from the City of Glendale, the NFL and Verizon planted trees at the city’s Sahuaro Ranch Historic Park as part of the NFL’s Super Bowl and Pro Bowl Greening Project.