Kick off the Holiday Weekend in style with the latest Forest Digest!

  • Deforestation is messing with our weather and our food- — Phys.org
    Deforestation is often used to make way for agricultural fields, and while this is known to have an impact on global food production, researchers have found new evidence that this effect is not a positive one. Land use changes can alter the albedo — the reflection of the sun’s rays back into the atmosphere — and evapotranspiration — the movement of water through the soil, plant and back to the atmosphere — driving temperature changes that could cause crops to fail.
  • East Asian human activities affect air quality in remote tropical forests — Phys.org
    Atmospheric pollutants are often transported around the world by wind, and this is spoiling the air quality in the Borneo rainforest in Southeast Asia. Industrial pollutants are coming in with cold air masses from the north and depositing them in the forest and the stratosphere, which could cause harm to the ozone layer.
  • Global forest loss reversed, despite large-scale deforestation in the tropics — treehugger
    New satellite data from the University of New South Wales indicates that vegetation around the globe is increasing despite massive deforestation rates in tropical rainforests. Many countries are benefiting from increased rainfall while others are seeing forest regrowth on abandoned farmland or even implementing massive reforestation projects, such as China.
  • ADM Announces Plan to Fight Deforestation — The New York Times
    In September 2014, many companies such as Cargill, Kellogg and Nestlé signed agreements to end tropical deforestation due to their supply chains by 2030. Now another big company, ADM, announced a plan to work with the Forest Trust to help reduce the impact of their supply chains on deforestation. Many environmental organizations see this as a step in the right direction and hope that more companies will feel the pressure to also curb deforestation rates.
Aspen and pine trees in the western U.S. are in danger as the climate warms, wildfires burn and beetles infestations spring up.
Aspen and pine trees in the western U.S. are in danger as the climate warms, wildfires burn and beetles infestations spring up.
  • Climate Change Threatens to Kill Off More Aspen Forests by 2050s, Scientists Say — The New York Times
    Drought and heat in the western U.S. are responsible to the death of millions of aspens in recent years and according to scientists at Princeton University tree loss is going to become more frequent by 2050 thanks to climate change. Between climate change and mountain pine beetles, many are worried forests could become sparse in the West in the very near future.
  • 48 hours that changed the future of rainforests — grist
    The palm oil industry has caused farmers to clear cut an area the size of Taiwan from the rainforest in recent years, but in 48 hours, two companies — Forest Heroes and The Forest Trust — convinced Wilmar, the biggest palm oil corporation, to stop all deforestation activity within their supply chain. It was more than anyone could have hoped for and put pressure on other palm oil companies to do the same!
  • Tree Cover Loss Spikes in Russia and Canada, Remains High Globally- — Global Forest Watch
    New satellite images were released from the University of Maryland yesterday that show a combined 34 percent increase of forest loss in Russian and Canada during 2013, and a 5.2 percent increase globally. While this loss stems from natural and anthropogenic sources, many scientists are worried that this spike could become a trend.