cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/5315976

As the world’s climate warms, tree growing ranges in the Northern Hemisphere are predicted to move farther north and higher in elevation.

Trees, of course, can’t get up and walk to their new climatic homes. This is where assisted migration is supposed to lend a hand.

A potential labelling error was the latest in a series of concerns for the American Chestnut Foundation, driving the nonprofit to pull support for a genetically engineered tree meant resurrect an iconic American species.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/9751948

The Biden administration is moving to conserve groves of old-growth trees on federal land by revising management plans for national forests and grasslands across the U.S. as climate change amplifies the threats they face from wildfires, insects and disease.

Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack said the goal was to provide an “ecologically-driven” approach to older forests — an arena where logging interests have historically predominated. It would be the first nationwide amendment to U.S. Forest Service management plans in the agency’s 118-year history, he said.

Details were obtained by The Associated Press in advance of Tuesday’s public release of the proposal.

It follows longstanding calls from environmentalists to preserve older forests that offer crucial wildlife habitat and other environmental benefits. The timber industry has fought against logging restrictions on government-owned lands.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/8446901

(More details, from the National Park Service : https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/wildfires-kill-unprecedented-numbers-of-large-sequoia-trees.htm )

https://web.archive.org/web/20231112162223/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/12/virginia-acorn-collection-forests/

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/9478756

Exceprts from the op/ed:

The Southeast Alaska community of Whale Pass opposes a 292-acre sale of old-growth forest and instead prefers the economic benefits of tourism and carbon credits.

Despite the fact that logging will almost certainly make less money and is less than 1% of the economy of Southeast while tourism provides 27%, the state of Alaska says it’s in the state’s best interest to pursue an old-growth timber sale right next to Whale Pass. This is like turning down a multimillion-dollar offer on your home to sell it for a few hundred thousand bucks.

Furthermore, the DNR commissioner explained in a letter to the Whale Pass City Council that “while carbon offset projects will open exciting new sources of revenue for the State of Alaska once the program is up and running, projects on state land are expected to operate in parallel with timber harvests — not take the place of them.” This statement ignores the fact that carbon offsets are only worth money if you are making a real tradeoff to conserve the carbon instead of logging it.

Somehow, making a political point against the Biden administration is more important than maintaining any semblance of credibility for actualizing revenue from the newly created carbon offset program, supporting tourism, the economic sector that is thriving, allowing the community most impacted by the decision to generate immediate revenue and lead the way on carbon credits, and addressing landslide concerns.

cross-posted from: https://jlai.lu/post/2020236

I am trying to plant palm trees from date pits. I've already done it. It's a very long process that takes about a year to show a recognisable palm. The date pit has to be first immerged in water for at least 15 days and up to 3 weeks. Then in wet cotton for the same time. Finally, we can plant it. The palm should be water only when the soil is fully dry.

I've been using cactus soil last time but they are sold in big quantity and I don't want so much of it. Which kind of soil could replace it, preferably sold in smaller quantity? Are there soil especially made for palm trees?

It's only a couple months old. It's being grown under grow lights because it is now fall and it would not grow well outside. It was doing absolutely fantastic and then one day it started rolling its leaves downward. I am really afraid to overwater because I don't want to cause root rot, but I don't know if it's overwatered or underwater because everything I look at on the Internet is telling me the signs for both are similar.

I am pretty new to growing plants of any kind, but I really wanted to grow a beautiful tree with my kids and plant it in our yard when we get a house in the future. I would feel awful for so many reasons if I kill this little tree. Can somebody please help me understand how to help it and what to look for the future with watering needs?

Interesting article on assisted migration of redwoods. This idea is starting to catch on. I think the naysayers are a little too fearful—are there any documented negative effects of moving long-lived and slow to reproduce trees to areas that have a long history of biogeographic contact? I am not aware of any. Most invasive species are small, fast to reproduce, and introduced to radically distant ecosystems.

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/environment@beehaw.org/t/568185

"We are investing in activities that are harmful for forests at far higher rates than we are investing in activities that are beneficial for forests," the assessment coordinator said.