Free Republic

The chestnut trees of Europe tell a hidden story charting the fortunes of ancient Rome and the legacy it left in the continent's forests. The ancient Romans left an indelible imprint on the world they enveloped into their empire. The straight, long-distance roads they built can still be followed beneath the asphalt of some modern highways. They spread aqueducts, sewers, public baths and the Latin language across much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. But what's perhaps less well known is the surprising way they transformed Europe's forests. ... Romans had something of a penchant for sweet chestnut...

Poplar trees are some of the fastest-growing, most popular shade trees in America. They encompass some 35 species, not including a massive number of hybrids, and can be found in zones 3 through 9. One question many homeowners want to know is, are poplar roots invasive? Poplar trees are invasive because they have an extensive, fast growing, and shallow root system (up to three times wider than the tree is tall) which can lift sidewalks, retaining walls, and clog pipes. Poplar roots send up suckers 100ft away from the base of the tree while spreading seeds rapidly.

L.A.'s fragile urban canopy was dealt a vicious blow this weekend when a chainsaw-wielding vandal cut down a number of shade trees along South Grand Avenue and other areas of downtown, according to media posts and photos uploaded to Reddit and Instagram. The Los Angeles Police Department told The Times it had no information about the tree destruction, and an email and phone call to the city's Urban Forestry Division went unanswered Sunday.

A recent discovery in the Rocky Mountains has given scientists an extraordinary look into the past, but it comes with an unsettling reminder of the effects of climate change. A 5,900-year-old forest was found preserved under ice at Wyoming’s Beartooth Plateau, offering valuable insight into ancient ecosystems. This remarkable find, detailed in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underscores the impact of warming temperatures. The forest was uncovered as ice patches melted, further highlighting the growing threat of rising global temperatures to high-elevation ecosystems. Ancient Trees Uncovered After Millennia During an archaeological survey, scientists...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (Trade Expansion Act), it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Policy. The wood products industry, composed of timber, lumber, and their derivative products (such as paper products, furniture, and cabinetry) is a critical manufacturing industry essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States. This industry plays a vital role in key downstream civilian industries, including construction. The United States faces...

So I moved from the liberal infested bay area California 4 months ago and out into a semi rural (Trump country) area of California. I bought a big home with 1.5 acres. I need some fruit and shade trees so I went to website that sells fast growing trees and when I tried adding cherry trees, peach trees, and apricot trees to my shopping cart, a message pops up saying they're unable to ship to California due to agricultural restrictions. This is such BS.

The width and color of tree rings provides an extraordinary glimpse into a tree's history. (Dmitr1ch/Shutterstock) How extreme weather leaves a lasting mark on trees and shrubs POZNAŃ, Poland — In the Arctic’s harsh borderlands, where trees wage a constant battle for survival, an international research team has discovered that extreme cold leaves lasting fingerprints in wood. These “blue rings,” visible only under a microscope, reveal centuries-old stories of climate disasters that once brought summer temperatures plunging to near-freezing. The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, examined pine trees and juniper shrubs in the Arctic. The research team ventured...

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is planning to clear 420 acres of trees in a state forest in order to build a solar farm, according to a recent report. A “top state official” confirmed the Michigan DNR’s plans to clear the acres of state forest for a solar farm to MLive.com. The acres being cleared from the state forest are reportedly among the “4,000 acres of public land” throughout Michigan that will be leased in order to address decreased “revenues from hunting and fishing licenses,” as well as Michigan falling “behind building enough renewable energy.” Leasing 4,000 acres...

An £18,000,000 plan to redevelop Highgate Cemetery, the final resting places of Karl Marx and George Michael, has divided local residents. The graves of Marx and Michael are among those currently ‘at risk’ of damage from falling ash trees, which have been decaying due to longstanding disease and drainage issues at the famous cemetery. Ash dieback, a fungal disease that could eventually kill up to 80% of ash trees across the UK, has seen trees topple in the cemetery and forced many more to be cut down. Marx’s grave is surrounded by ash trees, whereas George Michael’s burial spot lies...

China has finished a 46-year campaign to encircle its largest desert with trees, part of national efforts to end desertification and curb the sandstorms that plague parts of the country during the spring, state media reported on Friday (Nov 29). A "green belt" of about 3,000 km around the Taklamakan was completed on Thursday in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, after workers planted the final 100 metres of trees on the desert's southern edge, the Communist Party-run People's Daily said. Efforts to enclose the desert with trees began in 1978 with the launch of China's "Three-North Shelterbelt" project, colloquially known...

Planting over 16,000 trees. Increasing the tree canopy is a priority because trees provide shade, lower the ground surface temperature and offset carbon emissions by capturing carbon dioxide. For nearly two decades, Miami-Dade has struggled to reach its goal of 30 percent tree cover. Gilbert explains that rampant development and hurricane damage have made meeting this a Sisyphean task. The fact that the county isn’t backsliding is an achievement, she insists—it’s currently hovering around 20 percent. This year Miami-Dade will invest a record $7 million in tree planting, with an emphasis on low-income neighborhoods, which tend to have the least...

We’re barking up the wrong trees. A new study reveals that a majority of the 7 million trees in New York City are emitting “volatile compounds” that do more harm than good for our air quality — especially during scorching heat. “We’re all for planting more trees. They bring so many good things,” said study coauthor Róisín Commane, an atmospheric chemist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “But if we’re not careful, we could make air quality worse.” The arbors in question include oaks and sweetgums which produce high volumes of a chemical composition called isoprenes — and they’re rooted...

“What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is my own.” James Joyce penned those words while writing Ulysses, but he could have easily written them were he composing a report on the political attitudes of the pseudo-elite greenie left of the modern era.From an article by Greg Rehner at Fox News:California clean energy project threatens thousands of protected Joshua trees: reportsA California-based renewable energy company plans to clear thousands of protected Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert to make way for a solar project that will generate electricity for nearly 180,000 homes in coastal neighborhoods instead of the impacted communities,...

The solar project is destroying the Joshua trees…to save the Joshua Trees from “climate change.” There are a lot of essential lessons real environmentalists can learn from this post. I have offered post after post proving that the Earth’s climate has continually changed. Any temperature rise observed from reliable temperature stations is likely cyclic and part of the world’s warming after an intense period of glaciation. I have noted repeatedly that carbon dioxide is a life-essential gas in trace amounts, and data shows it has no significant role in global warming. I have highlighted that fossil fuels and nuclear energy...

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont acknowledged Monday he helped hire a landscaper that illegally chopped down more than 180 trees and thousands of bushes on a property behind his Greenwich home, capping off days of questions about his level of involvement. The wealthy two-term Democrat, along with one of his neighbors and a neighborhood organization, have been accused of removing trees in protected wetlands — property they do not own — to get a better view of a pond. Lamont denied that charge, telling reporters on Monday the trees were damaged in previous storms and the plan was to clean up...

The last thing any tourist wants is to buckle up for a boring attraction. So a new study that reveals 'the 100 most boring attractions across the globe' serves a useful purpose for those keen to guarantee a holiday free from the mundane. America, it seems, needs to up its game on the excitement front, with attractions in the country occupying the top seven spots, beating Shrek's Adventure London into eighth place. And four Legoland Discovery Centers make the top 25. The ranking, by Solitaired, was drawn up by an analysis of 66.7million Google reviews of 3,290 popular tourist attractions...

Conservationists in Germany are incensed as 120,000 trees in an ancient forest have started to be felled in order to make way for a wind farm. The forest in Sababurg, Reinhardswald, which is in the central German state of Hesse, is said to be an inspiration for the Brothers Grimm mythical tales, but now it’s being destroyed to facilitate the country’s latest green energy project. The site of the tree-toppling is next to the famous Sleeping Beauty Castle, which takes its name due to its fairytale architecture and its proximity to the mystical forest. However, now the castle will be...

A Chinese green energy firm backed by Michigan's state government is tearing down trees to make way for a proposed electric vehicle (EV) battery plant designed to help the state meet its climate goals. Gotion Inc. - whose parent company is Hefei, China-based Gotion High-Tech - said it has initiated its tree-cutting process this week to make way for its controversial EV project in Mecosta County, Michigan, which has received support from Democrats and climate activists, but opposition from Republicans and national security experts. The firm said the process is legal and pushed back against concerns raised by locals. "It’s...

Indoctrination or Ignorance? 28-Year-Old Woman Learns You Can Eat Fruit From a Tree

If you need more evidence that America has become a "permission-slip" society, look no further than the City of Portland, Oregon, requiring homeowners to get permits to remove trees that've fallen on their houses during recent winter storms. Portland alt-weekly Willamette Week published a story last week about Joel and Sarah Bonds, who had a large Douglas Fir in the backyard squash their house after it became weighed down with ice. The tree barely missed the Bonds' young daughter and cat. As it turns out, the couple were not unaware of the danger posed by the tree. In 2021, they'd...