Flora Library - News about flowers, plants & trees

Forest & trees

What type of forest to choose for better CO2 storage? - An international team has studied which types of forest are the most effective in storing carbon. Inventory data from natural forests on five continents show that species diversity is optimal for equatorial and tropical rainforests, and that, conversely, in forests located in cold or dry regions, it is the abundance of trees and not their diversity that favours the recapture of CO2.
Virtual reality forests could help understanding of climate change - The effects of climate change are sometimes difficult to grasp, but now a virtual reality forest, created by geographers, can let people walk through a simulated forest of today and see what various futures may hold for the trees.
Chemical clues in leaves can reveal ash tree resistance to deadly disease - Naturally occurring compounds in ash leaves could be linked to susceptibility of individual trees to the fungal disease ash dieback (ADB). But selecting trees with lower levels of these compounds and breeding for resistance could leave the UK ash tree population open to attack from invading insect pests in the future, according to scientists.

News & articles

Parasitic plants conspire to keep hosts alive - The plant that encourages kissing at Christmas is in fact a parasite, and new research reveals mistletoe has an unusual feeding strategy. When two mistletoes invade the same tree, they increase photosynthesis to get the nutrients they need, essentially sharing the tree and causing it less harm.

Climate impacts drive east-west divide in forest seed production - Younger, smaller trees that comprise much of North America's eastern forests have increased their seed production under climate change. But older, larger trees that dominate western forests have been less responsive, a new study warns. This continental divide could limit western forests' ability to regenerate following large-scale diebacks linked to rising temperatures and intensifying droughts. Over time this might dramatically alter the composition and structure of 21st century North American forests.