Needlecast and needle blight are terms applied to a variety of foliage disorders of many coniferous species. These diseases are usually more severe on young trees or on trees growing outside of their natural range. Disease severity and corresponding...

Urgent solutions to global climate change are needed. Ambitious tree-planting initiatives, many already underway, aim to sequester enormous quantities of carbon to partly compensate for anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which are a major cause of rising...

This article from Frontiers in Forests and Global Change explores large-scale global reforestation goals in the US. The authors used GIS analyses, surveys of nursery managers and foresters, and literature synthesis to assess the opportunities and...

Large-scale global reforestation goals have been proposed to help mitigate climate change and provide other ecosystem services. To explore reforestation potential in the United States, we used GIS analyses, surveys of nursery managers and foresters,...

Learning to distinguish the symptoms of lightning strikes is a valuable tool for arborists, landscapers, pest control companies, and gardeners. The symptoms may be confused with other causes such as lethal yellowing disease (Candidatus palmae...

Diversification of urban forests is essential to enhance their resilience to future biotic
threats as well as those posed by a changing climate. Arboreta and botanic gardens
host a wide range of plant material that can be evaluated to...

Positive interactions between people and nature inspire behaviours that are in harmony
with biodiversity conservation and also afford physical and mental health benefits.
Since most people live in towns and cities, urban greenspaces are...

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was first discovered in southeastern Michigan in 2002. Accidentally introduced on solid wood packing material from Asia, EAB has since spread to nearly all states within the native North American range of its...

The restoration of trees remains among the most effective strategies for climate change
mitigation.We mapped the global potential tree coverage to show that 4.4 billion hectares
of canopy cover could exist under the current climate....

Six elements are required in small amounts for the growth and development of plants. These are referred to as micronutrients: iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), and boron (B). Only two of these, iron and manganese, are...

Sonic tomography, or the use of sound waves to detect decay in trees, is a relatively new technology available to arborists.  This technology uses the differential speed of sound as it moves through solid wood, decayed wood, or hollow space to create a...

Thousands of trees are struck by lightning every year. These trees will have varying degrees of damage ranging from complete shattering and destruction of the tree, to a slow lingering death, to virtually no apparent damage at all (Figure 1). When...

Conifers are commonly planted in North America to provide year-round screening, as windbreaks or as focal trees in the landscape. However, conifers including certain species of spruce, pine, hemlock, cedar and fir planted in northern areas of North...

Mulches provide many benefits for trees and shrubs. Properly applied mulch will moderate soil temperatures, reduce soil moisture loss, reduce soil compaction, provide nutrients, improve soil structure, foster beneficial microbial communities, and keep...

Urban forests are recognized for the multiple benefits they provide to city‐dwellers.
However, climate change will affect tree species survival and persistence in urban
ecosystems. Tree failures will cause economic losses and jeopardize...

Although the effects of climate on species richness are known, regional processes
may lead to different species richness–climate relationships across continents
resulting in species richness anomalies, especially for tropical groups....

North American forests and forest management institutions are experiencing a wide range of significant ecological disturbances and socioeconomic changes, which point to the need for enhanced resilience. A critical capacity for resilience in...

Urban trees serve a critical conservation function by supporting arthropod and vertebrate communities but are often subject to arthropod pest infestations. Native trees are thought to support richer arthropod communities than exotic trees but may also...

Drought is a recurrent stress to forests, causing periodic forest mortality with enormous economic and environmental costs. Wood is the water‐conducting tissue of tree stems, and trees modify wood development to create anatomical features and hydraulic...

The aim of this guide is to enable you to select appropriate trees for your planting scheme. By doing so, you will enhance the benefits bestowed on our communities by trees, help enrich our shared landscape and create a more sustainable urban forest...