Forests
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As the global temperature warms up in the future, we can expect to also see changes in related variables like degree days, growing season length, and plant hardiness zones, which are tied to minimum temperatures. The Washington Post has an interesting map that compares the expected plant hardiness zones across the United States from the […]
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Outside magazine posted an interesting story this week about recent observations of spruce trees found by scientists studying the Arctic tundra. These trees are growing in a spot that has not seen trees for the last 20,000 years. This is interesting but also concerning because it shows that the climate even in this space inhospitable […]
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You may have heard or read about the lengthy drought that has been impacting the western US over the last decade or two. Since written records only go back into the 1800s, scientists use tree rings to provide proxy data that can help identify when rainfall was scant, since trees don’t grow much in a […]
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While many people think of the Pacific Northwest as the main area of lumber production, the economic reality is that the industry’s center of gravity has shifted to the South, according to a recent article in Blue Mountain Eagle. According to the article, the NW’s thunder has been stolen by the South’s abundant timber supplies […]
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The Georgia Climate Project announced a new website that discusses how the changing climate is affecting Georgia’s (and the Southeast’s) forests. It talks about carbon sequestration, impacts on ecosystems, and how foresters are adapting to and helping mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. You can visit it at Forests – Georgia Climate […]
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The Southern Group of State Foresters posted an interesting perspective on our forests, including the challenges they face from urbanization, climate changes, and market drivers. They also provide solutions to counter the challenges they are facing. While I find their commentary to push wood products and commercial forestry a bit (not surprising), they do provide […]
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Climate scientists are constantly analyzing data and looking at results of computer modeling to better understand how the earth’s atmosphere/ocean system works. Even though it may seem like they are changing their minds, they are really updating their understanding when they see new information in the data they are studying. That is what science is. […]