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Challenges to the Reforestation Pipeline in the United States

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...

Resource
4/29/21
Challenges to the Reforestation Pipeline in the United States

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,...

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3/4/21
The PhenObs initiative – A standardised protocol for monitoring phenological responses to climate change using herbaceous plant species in botanical gardens

Changes in phenology induced by climate change occur across the globe with important
implications for ecosystem functioning and services, species performance and trophic
interactions. Much of the work on phenology, especially leaf out and...

Resource
1/21/21
Using botanic gardens and arboreta to help identify urban trees for the future

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...

Resource
11/9/20
The state of the world’s urban ecosystems: What can we learn from trees, fungi, and bees?

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...

Resource
10/9/20
Climate change winners and losers: The effects of climate change on five palm species in the Southeastern United States

Palms (Arecaceae) are a relatively speciose family and provide materials for food, construction, and handicraft, especially in the tropics. They are frequently used as paleo-indicators for megathermal climates, and therefore, it is logical to predict...

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9/8/20
The global tree restoration potential

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....

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7/9/20
A Master Gardener Survey: Promoting Pollinator-friendly Plants Through Education and Outreach

As land-use patterns change over time, some pollinating insects continue to decline both in abundance and diversity. This is due, in part, to reductions in floral resources that provide sufficient nectar and pollen. Our overall goal is to help increase...

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1/28/20
Local climate change adaptation plans in the US and France: Comparison and lessons learned in 2007-2017

As the number of local climate adaptation plans has rapidly grown during the past ten years in
response to increasing threats of climate change, cities and various organizations offer new insights
on climate adaptation planning methods...

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1/21/20
Lightning Protection for Trees

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...

Resource
12/12/19
Strategic science planning for responsible stewardship and plant protection at the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Agriculture is comprised of managed ecosystems, which can include forests, rangelands
and crops; these managed ecosystems are vital resources, providing a host
of economic and societal benefits. However, these systems face a multitude of...

Resource
11/15/19
Conifer Care

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...

Resource
11/14/19
Urban plant diversity in Los Angeles, California: Species and functional type turnover in cultivated landscapes

Urbanization is a large driver of biodiversity globally. Within cities, urban trees, gardens, and residential yards contribute extensively to plant biodiversity, although the consequences and mechanisms of plant cultivation for biodiversity are...

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9/27/19
Assessing the vulnerability of Australia’s urban forests to climate extremes

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...

Resource
8/28/19
A Road Map for Conservation, Use, and Public Engagement around North America’s Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Utilized Plants

Crop wild relatives—the plant species closely related to agricultural crops—are valuable
genetic resources used by plant breeders to increase pest and disease resistance, stress
tolerance, nutritional profile, and other traits critical to...

Resource
8/20/19
Heat Stress in Legume Seed Setting: Effects, Causes, and Future Prospects

Grain legumes provide a rich resource of plant nutrition to human diets and are vital for food security and sustainable cropping. Heat stress during flowering has a detrimental effect on legume seed yield, mainly due to irreversible loss of seed number...

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8/8/19
Connecting for Crop Diversity: Enhancing Agriculture Research and Education Through Coordinated Conservation

Conserving biodiversity for food and agriculture requires coordination and cooperation across local and global communities. Botanical gardens are at the crossroads of plant science and public engagement. Their living collections offer dynamic learning...

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6/7/19
Outreach Tools to Speak Out for Plants and Science

Contact your elected representatives and let them know how you feel about plants, our web of life, and the ecosystem services we all depend upon:

  • Ask them to cosponsor H.R. 1572 The Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research,
  • ...
Resource
5/13/19
Indigenous knowledge networks in the face of global change

Indigenous communities rely extensively on plants for food, shelter, and medicine. It is still unknown, however, to what degree their survival is jeopardized by the loss of either plant species or
knowledge about their services. To fill this gap...

Resource
5/7/19
Studio One: A New Teaching Model for Exploring Bio-Inspired Design and Fabrication

The increasing specialization in architecture has clearly left its marks not only on the general
profession but also on architectural education. Many universities around the world react to this
development by offering primarily...

Resource
5/6/19

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