Silvan Planet

One of the challenges involved in supporting trees to realize their full potential for sequestering carbon dioxide is the large numbers of trees that are destroyed each year by forest fires. These days in North America, lumber operations are usually run responsibly with planting operations to restore forests after the harvest is taken. But most forest fires occur on public lands with inadequate means to replant after devastation. So we need to learn how to plant trees faster and cheaper than is possible with conventional methods. This is the kind of situation where one wants to look at what new technologies may have to contribute. That's just what an enterprising group of Canadians are doing. Lets get around, they are saying, the back-breaking on foot labour and difficult accessibility of forest terrains by using drones. Not the giant military weapons, but the small, inexpensive and increasingly stable, remote controlled aircraft that can fly missions over difficult terrain wit...

Ever plant stuff? I do. And I always dig a round hole to put the transplant it. Well, approximately round anyway. Who doesn't? Lots of people planting trees these days. And apparently some of them have been doing it wrong. Apparently when planted in a round hole there is a big chance that the roots will grow in a circular pattern and not expand out to provide a healthy support pattern. The solution to growing more resilient trees? Why plant round trees in square holes of course! READ THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/08/james-wong-garden-plant-trees-in-square-holes-for-establishment-resilience

In Wisconsin, they value their trees... It can all start with a walk through a winter wonderland. FOR THE WHOLE STORY==>  https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/life/2019/12/07/healing-power-trees-walk-forest-help-kids-adhd-hospital-patients/2622988001/

As the climate crisis grows more severe, some are suggesting the use of prefabricated structural wood components in place of concrete and steel for support in large buildings. Yes, wood structures mean the cutting of trees. But the overall climate impact may be substantially less than the immense carbon footprint of concrete and steel construction. Michael Green, an architect who is a proponent of wood construction notes that, “Roughly 11 percent of the global carbon footprint is related to what buildings are made out of.” FOR THE WHOLE STORY ==> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/style/engineered-wood-tower-construction.html [ Photo: P. R. Burley, CCL ]

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them—whoever knows how to listen to them—can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts; they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” — Hermann Hesse, "Wandering" Not only that but trees are more powerful in groups. Some even see a kind of teamwork among groups of trees. Evolution has equipped some of them with improved survival when they cooperate with each other. An example is Redwoods - their shallow root systems are stronger when they are intertwined with the roots of their neighbours. As a result of this firm foundation, Redwoods can become some of the tallest trees in the world. FOR THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/11/18/the-teamwork-of-trees/#335590c860f0 [Photo by Allie Caulfield, CCL]

First it was the Chestnut blight, then Dutch Elm disease, followed by the Emerald Ash Borer! Now a new enemy of trees is on the horizon. The American Beech, Fagus grandifolia , one of the most impressive trees in eastern forests, is now under attack.   They're working on it. Right now research is still at the stage of identifying the pathogen that causes shrivelled beech leaves mottled with black stripes. A possible cause has been tentatively indicted, a leaf-infesting nematode. But bacterial or fungal pathogens may also be involved. FOR THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6467/786 [ Photo by Marqqq, CC License ]  

This is real estate talk. In southern California, they're big on the benefits of trees. There are the environmental benefits of course - protection of soil from erosion, providing habitat for birds, contributing oxygen to the atmosphere... and it's a much longer list than this. But in addition they provide a whole lot of services that people value. For example, trees in your neighbourhood reduce energy use, reduce water run-off to sewage systems and improve air and water quality (also a much longer list). What really appeals to those with a stake in real estate, is the way trees add to the value of a house that is up for sale. One expert calculates that investing in trees on a residential property can produce a 110% return on investment. CHECK OUT THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://kfiam640.iheart.com/featured/home-with-dean-sharp/content/2019-11-10-the-benefit-of-having-trees/