Industry News

Mass Timber Momentum Expands Forest Products Markets

Thu, 5 Nov 2020 21:47:20 GMT

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is revolutionizing the building industry in the U.S., creating important market-based approaches to responsible forest management and sustainable environmental solutions.

August Tree of the Month: Water Gum

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 21:14:07 GMT

The Water Gum is as close as you can get to a “perfect tree” for ornamental purposes in Santa Barbara. It has beautiful green foliage all year long, has attractive fragrant flowers, is tolerant of both dry and wet conditions, grows in almost any type of soil, is essentially insect- and disease-free, tolerates pollution and, perhaps most importantly, is almost maintenance-free. It checks all the boxes to qualify as a great tree to plant in our home gardens and on our streets.

Diagnosing single trees from above

Wed, 5 Aug 2020 20:25:02 GMT

Models based on images from unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites can help farmers to monitor the health of individual trees.

Masks Made From Banana-Tree Species Cut Covid’s Plastic Waste

Tue, 4 Aug 2020 20:22:32 GMT

Fiber from a relative of the banana tree could replace plastic in millions of face masks and hospital gowns the world is making to fight the coronavirus.

Christmas in July: What goes into getting trees ready for the holiday

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:59:35 GMT

Right now, Christmas is probably far from your mind. But it’s always on the minds of Christmas tree farmers. Summertime is when they groom trees to be ready before the snow falls and the world’s attention turns to the holiday season.

Tree of the week: ‘Everyone loved this oriental plane. It was breathtaking’

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 14:35:23 GMT

Concert promoter Nick Hobbs was guiding a group of hikers through Belgrade forest, just north of Istanbul, when he stumbled upon the magnificent Octopus tree. “Everyone loved it,” he says. “We all thought it was breathtaking.”

Hugging a tree in Israel to beat the coronavirus blues

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 16:42:58 GMT

Can’t embrace friends and family these days? Hug a tree instead.

Pompoms save well-known Brisbane tree from council removal

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 16:35:56 GMT

An popular pompom tree on the northern outskirts of Brisbane has been saved by community spirit after originally being earmarked for removal.

100-year-old ‘evergreen’ tree, Al-Sarh found in Abu Dhabi

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 16:31:57 GMT

Studies by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) have identified a living tree estimated to be more than 100-years-old!

7 secrets that forests have been keeping from you

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 20:54:50 GMT

Where would you find the world’s largest recreation center and the most natural supermarket?

Forests wouldn’t have been your first answer, would it?

That’s the thing about forests. They keep secrets.

For too long we have seen trees as purely functional or ornamental, objects in the backdrop or on the sideline. They decorate city streets. They give us shady spots for resting and relief from the sun. They provide us with paper and fuel, fruit and nuts. These benefits are fairly obvious.

15 astounding facts about trees

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:40:14 GMT

It's hard to overstate the importance of trees. Their debut more than 300 million years ago

was a turning point for Earth, helping transform its surface into a bustling utopia for land animals. Trees have fed, housed and otherwise nurtured countless creatures over time — including our own arboreal ancestors.

Modern humans rarely live in trees, but that doesn't mean we can live without them. About 3 trillion trees currently exist, enriching habitats from old-growth forests to city streets. Yet despite our deep-rooted reliance on trees, we tend to take them for granted. People clear millions of forested acres every year, often for short-term rewards despite long-term risks like desertification, wildlife declines and climate change. Science is helping us learn to use trees' resources more sustainably, and to protect vulnerable forests more effectively, but we still have a long way to go.

14 Fun Facts About Trees

Thu, 6 Dec 2018 16:53:32 GMT

Trees are more than just part of our natural landscape. They provide shelter and food for

wildlife. They absorb carbon dioxide and produce breathable air. And one of the best things about trees is that they add to the beauty of the world.

Here are some of our favorite tree facts, enjoy!

1. Trees are the longest living organisms on Earth, and never die of old age. The Old List is a database of ancient trees that officially tracks old trees, their species, and location. Methuselah, from California’s White Mountains, comes in at over 4,800 years old.

15 astounding facts about trees

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 18:09:38 GMT

It's hard to overstate the importance of trees. Their debut more than 300 million years ago

The most vivid and underappreciated US regions for fall foliage

Thu, 4 Oct 2018 14:49:19 GMT

As fall begins, people all across the country are anticipating the beautiful foliage that comes

with the leaves changing colors.

“In New England and the Midwest, you are going to have more deciduous forests so you are going to get different colors of leaves,” said Greg Peters, director of communications at the National Forest Foundation. “You’ll have maple trees that change to red, oak trees that change to more orange, you’ll have birch and poplar trees that change to yellow. Then there are also a lot of shrubs.”

The array of different reds, oranges, yellows and greens brighten up the landscape as the weather begins to cool. Although most know that leaves change color, some do not know why.

Inspiration for Dr. Seuss's 'The Lorax' may be from real plant and animal life in Kenya

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 15:25:16 GMT

Ever since "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss (the pen name for Theodor Geisel), was first published in

August of 1971, it has captured the minds of young readers. It's been translated into 15 languages and more than 1.6 million copies were sold by 2010. The short and spunky, furry orange creature called the Lorax, who "speaks for the trees," is famous for his environmental pleas, as he demands that the Once-ler stop cutting down the Truffula trees to make yarn for the Thneeds.

In the book, as the landscape becomes dotted with Truffula tree stumps, the Lorax explains:

"NOW...thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground, there's not enough Truffula Fruit to go 'round..."

Ash dieback found on new tree species at Westonbirt

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 14:53:27 GMT

A devastating tree disease has been found in three new species in Gloucestershire.

The ash dieback infection was identified on three ornamental shrubs - which are in the same family as ash - by staff at Westonbirt Arboretum.

However, the Forestry Commission does not believe these findings will have a "significant impact on the environment".

It continues to urge people to report suspected sightings of the disease.

The ornamental trees and shrubs which tested positive at Westonbirt were a mock privet, narrow-leaved mock privet and a white fringetree.

Prof Nicola Spence, the UK's chief plant health officer, said: "Since 2012, the Government has invested more than £6m into ash dieback research.

What percentage of the U.S. is covered by forests?

Wed, 9 Nov 2016 16:52:41 GMT

Almost 1/3 of the United States is covered by forests! And forests cover 41% of the land in the state of Idaho. About 90% of Idaho's land that was covered by forests in the year 1630 is still covered by forests.