Mother Jones: How Trees Can Help Us Fight a Pandemic. “As the world grapples with the devastation of the coronavirus, one thing is clear: The United States simply wasn’t prepared. Despite repeated warnings from infectious disease experts over the years, we lacked essential beds, equipment, and medication; public health advice was confusing, and our leadership offered no clear direction while sidelining credible health professionals and institutions. Infectious disease experts agree that it’s only a matter of time before the next pandemic hits, and that could be even deadlier. How do we fix what COVID-19 has shown was broken? In this Mother Jones series, we’re asking experts from a wide range of disciplines one question: What are the most important steps we can take to make sure we’re better prepared next time?”
trees
Quad-City Times: Illinois’ big trees are on the map
Quad-City Times: Illinois’ big trees are on the map. “From the depths of the Shawnee National Forest to backyards in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois’ biggest trees are branching out. For the first time, the state’s champion trees are now available as an interactive digital map.” Never heard of champion trees? Check this out.
Ecosia: Green search engine plants 100 million trees! (Newsum)
Newsum: Ecosia: Green search engine plants 100 million trees!. “Ecosia, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is a green search engine. It works in a very interesting manner – it uses the profit that it makes to make the world a better and a greener place. And what does that mean? Ecosia uses all the profits from user searches to plant trees where they are most needed! And recently, Ecosia hit a massive milestone. It successfully planted 100 million trees across the world. This would help remove around 1771 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!”
Neowin: Chrome adds Ecosia as search provider option in 47 countries
Neowin: Chrome adds Ecosia as search provider option in 47 countries. “Ecosia has announced that Chrome users will be able to switch to its search engine in an upcoming update to the mobile edition of the browser. Ecosia, which plants trees after every 45 searches, will feature alongside Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo! as a pre-configured search provider.”
India Times: Over 100 names added to database of heritage trees
India Times: Over 100 names added to database of heritage trees. “Paryavaran Sena, a non-profit organisation dedicated to environment protection, has begun compiling data of more than 100 heritage trees that it has identified for preservation. All the heritage trees identified are banyan and peepal trees, and are more than 100 years old.”
Commonwealth Journals: New Tool For Identifying Pests of Woody Plants
Commonwealth Journal: New Tool For Identifying Pests of Woody Plants. “The University of Kentucky Department of Entomology has created a new, interactive website to help concerned tree owners identify their insect problems. The ‘Guide to Insect Pests of Woody Plants’ will hopefully be of use to you if you have the pest in hand or if you just have the damage they left behind.”
Government News (Australia): Shade mapping tool helps pedestrians dodge heat
Government News (Australia): Shade mapping tool helps pedestrians dodge heat. “With the mercury recently hitting 45C in Bendigo, Council has adopted a new tool which helps residents seek out routes with the most shade coverage and avoid the heat. The Shadeways tool, developed by researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, uses satellite imagery to generate a ‘temperature likelihood’ monitor. By analysing surfaces and vegetation type, it creates an urban heat map and generates suggested shaded routes.”
Engadget: YouTubers have raised $20 million to plant 20 million trees
Engadget: YouTubers have raised $20 million to plant 20 million trees. “A few months ago, some of the top YouTubers like Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson and former NASA engineer Mark Rober launched the TeamTrees campaign. The initiative aimed to raise $20 million dollars, which would allow the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 20 million trees. The goal seemed a bit lofty, but the campaign reached its goal with over a week to spare before the self-imposed December 31st deadline.”
Northern Arizona University: Oak tree tells its own climate stories on Twitter, Facebook with help of NAU, CCC researchers
Northern Arizona University: Oak tree tells its own climate stories on Twitter, Facebook with help of NAU, CCC researchers. “As oak leaves rattle and pool beneath trees in Arizona’s high country, one 100-year-old oak tree in Massachusetts is attracting a crowd of admirers online thanks to the work of NAU researchers and a Coconino Community College student. The tree is a scientific wonder—not because of its unique looks or a special way it grows, but because of its voice.”
The Verge: MrBeast partners with more than 600 YouTubers, including PewDiePie and MKBHD, to plant 20 million trees
The Verge: MrBeast partners with more than 600 YouTubers, including PewDiePie and MKBHD, to plant 20 million trees. “More than 600 YouTubers are teaming up to take on one of the biggest fundraising challenges the platform has ever seen: raising $20 million by the end of the year to plant 20 million trees.”
CNBC: Google buys 40 acres of farmland in Silicon Valley so it can grow trees for its campuses
CNBC: Google buys 40 acres of farmland in Silicon Valley so it can grow trees for its campuses. “The Alphabet-owned company spent $2.1 million on 40 acres of land in Gilroy, California, according to a recent report by the San Jose Mercury News. The intent is to use the property as a tree farm to produce foliage for its existing and new campuses, a company spokesperson told CNBC.”
Phys .org: Rare and endangered symbolic scar tree preserved
Phys .org: Rare and endangered symbolic scar tree preserved . “Queensland Museum researchers have been part of a rescue mission to preserve a centuries-old Aboriginal tree carving, helping document it for future generations using technology known as photogrammetry.”
Phys .org: Network of leading forest restoration experts features new website
Phys .org: Network of leading forest restoration experts features new website. “The new website highlights key findings from 60+ publications, synthesized into eight key messages. Key messages focus on livelihoods and well-being, local decision making, planting trees, natural regeneration, tree cover change, climate change, holistic vision, and guiding principles. The interactive website guides visitors to each message and provides short summaries of foundational research findings and free access to peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and educational modules.”
Atlas Obscura: The Quiet Glory of Chronicling America’s Champion Trees
This project apparently started last year, but I just heard about it, and the story where I read about it isn’t really useful, so I’m using this Atlas Obscura story from last year, and why am I explaining all this? You probably don’t care and why should you? Anyway, Atlas Obscura: The Quiet Glory of Chronicling America’s Champion Trees. “Not every National Champion tree is an exhibitionist. Awarded by the nonprofit conservation organization American Forests, the accolade goes to the biggest and most majestic specimen (or specimens) belonging to each of more than 700 tree species in the United States, based on criteria such as height, ‘crown spread,’ and trunk girth. But for every imposing oak or towering redwood, there are just as many entrants that don’t seem to merit a second glance.”
Snopes: Does Search Engine Ecosia Use Profits to Plant Trees?
Snopes: Does Search Engine Ecosia Use Profits to Plant Trees?. “For many people, this business model may seem ‘too good to be true’ and has led to some skepticism about the legitimacy of this company. A search on Google, for instance, results in several articles and blog posts questioning the legitimacy of the search engine and asking whether Ecosia is a scam. As far as we can tell, Ecosia is a legitimate search engine that truly uses a portion of its profits to help plant trees around the world.”
