At the forefront of environmental discussions at Michigan State University, Tom Sharkey, a University Distinguished Professor at the Plant Resilience Institute, posed a provocative question: "Should we cut down all the oak trees?" While he wasn't advocating for a literal deforestation of oaks, this theoretical question emerges from his team's recent discoveries about the role of trees, especially oaks and poplars, in air pollution dynamics. Sharkey's research delves into the intricacies of isoprene -- a compound released by certain plants, particularly oaks and poplars. This research reveals a paradox. On one hand, with global temperatures rising, these trees emit more...
