Butterfly atlas shows species moving quickly north

December 7, 2008

A new atlas of butterfly observations in Britain shows that several southern species are moving north quickly. The atlas, based on 40,000 observations made by a network of volunteers over 10 years shows that species adapted to northern climates are moving north or uphill, while more broadly distributed species are not changing their distribution.
This [...]

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Logging underwater forests for timber in Ghana

December 6, 2008

Ghana is beginning to log drowned forests from Lake Volta as a source of high-value tropical logs. Ebony, teak, mahogany and nearly 100 other species have been found on the lake bottom, where they have stood since the construction in 1964 of the Akosombo hydroelectric dam. The venture is expected to earn $100 million [...]

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Friday Photography

December 5, 2008

Sumatra oak, Quercus sumatrana the southernmost oak, Sumatra, Indonesia. The buttresses and surface roots are typical of many tropical trees. Photograph by Tom Kimmerer

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Lodgepole pines are disappearing from the west – Video

December 4, 2008

The New York Times has an outstanding video, “America’s Disappearing Forests”  documenting the devastating impact of the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in the Rocky Mountain states.  The insect has destroyed about 2 million acres of lodgepole pine forests. Since lodgepole pine typically occurs in pure stands (coming in [...]

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Don’t panic, the acorns aren’t gone

December 1, 2008

The internet is atwitter with the Case of The Missing Acorns. The Washington Post and National Public Radio, among others, are reporting that oak and other nut-bearing trees have no nuts this year. Reports are concentrated along the east coast from Virginia to Maryland, with scattered reports from elsewhere.
The news reports give the impression [...]

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Friday Photography

November 28, 2008

Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae, on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis.
Near Asheville NC. Picture by Tom Kimmerer

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A botanical guide to Thanksgiving dinner

November 27, 2008

Here is a list of all the plants that we ate this Thanksgiving dinner. We made our usual dinner for 10 people, family and guests. Below the plant list is a list of the dishes we made.  Corn appears in many items that may not be obvious, such as mashed potatoes. However, turkey and dairy [...]

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Five major threats to eastern North American forests

November 26, 2008

The Big Five: emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, Sirex wood wasp, sudden oak death, hemlock woolly adelgid
Forests in eastern North America are beset with a number of exotic pests and pathogens. Several of these pests and pathogens collectively could have [...]

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Pecan crop low this year, plenty left from last year

November 25, 2008

Most people eat a few pecans year round, but pecan consumption peaks at the holidays. At this time of year, you can usually get new harvest pecans from the fall harvest. This year, though, pecan production is well down, and there are not enough current year pecans to meet demand. Not to worry, though. Pecan [...]

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Friday Photography

November 21, 2008

Old wound in a red maple, Acer rubrum, near Asheville, NC. The thick, rolled tissue around the wound are a growth response to the presence of decay fungi. Wounds in trees do not heal, but are compartmentalized, or walled off.
Picture by Tom Kimmerer

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