trees | Common News Update

Dec282022 by adminNo Comments

The Senegal man on a mission to plant five million trees

Science

Jo Hollis/BBCBy Jo HollisBBC News, CasamanceA man in southern Senegal has set himself the ambitious task of planting five million trees over the next five years.This visionary project came to Adama Diémé when he returned home to the Casamance region in 2020 after a few years working in Europe.The 48-year-old was shocked that in villages that were populated with hundreds of gigantic trees in his youth, only a handful, if any, now remained."In some villages, you can't find one tree. They cut them but they don't think about planting again," he told the BBC.Across Africa desertification is one of the reasons blamed for deforestation but, in this area, along the sweeping expanse of the Casamance River, the trees are more likely to have been cut down for construction purposes like building house...

Aug212022 by adminNo Comments

UK drought: Why do the trees think it’s autumn already?

Science

Getty ImagesFrom the crunch of leaves underfoot and the fiery foliage adorning the trees, you might be thinking autumn has come early.But experts say this hint of a change in the seasons isn't genuine. Instead it's the tell-tale sign of a "false autumn".They warn the heatwave and drought has pushed trees into survival mode, with leaves dropping off or changing colour as a result of stress.And some may end up dying as a result.Why we need to get used to wonky vegetablesWildlife under stress as dry spell shrinks riversSewage hits dozens of UK beaches after heavy rainGetty ImagesAuburn leaves and early leaf fall are both signs that trees are stressed and "shutting up shop", says Leigh Hunt, senior horticultural advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society."It's giving the appearance that we're...

Feb162022 by adminNo Comments

More than eight million trees lost this winter in the UK

Science

It is the untold story of the winter storms. More than eight million trees have been brought down and many are now threatened by another two named storms bearing down on Britain.Forest managers warn that already "catastrophic" damage will be made worse by Storms Dudley and Eunice.There are warnings that the heating climate is making our weather more severe and unpredictable, and that management and planting strategies must adapt more quickly.Forest ranger Richard Tanner says that he's never seen a real battlefield, but the west shore of Windermere now reminds him of photographs he has seen."It looks like someone's set off a bomb."All around are the giant root plates of fallen trees, some the size of caravans, studded with rocks torn from the earth."There's three tonnes of tree and then fiv...

Feb142022 by adminNo Comments

Amazon deforestation: Record high destruction of trees in January

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ReutersThe number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data.The area destroyed was five times larger than 2021, the highest January total since records began in 2015.Environmentalists accuse Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro of allowing deforestation to accelerate.Protecting the Amazon is essential if we are to tackle climate change. Trees are felled for their wood as well as to clear spaces to plant crops to supply global food companies.At the climate change summit COP26 in Glasgow last year, more than 100 governments promised to stop and reverse deforestation by 2030.The latest satellite data from Brazil's space agency Inpe again calls into question the Brazilian government's commit...

Feb262021 by adminNo Comments

National Trust to plant blossom trees in cities

Science

EPAThe National Trust is planning to plant dozens of blossoming trees, including cherry, hazel and plum, at different sites around the UK.As part of the plan, a circle of 33 trees will be planted in London, one representing each London borough. Designs are being finalised for groves in Nottingham, Newcastle and Plymouth - and other sites will follow.The project should help improve access to nature for those in towns and cities across the country.The idea is to try to create a UK equivalent of Japan's concept of "Hanami" - the annual celebration of flowers, and the coming of spring.Research carried out for the National Trust last year showed that almost half a million people live in "grey deserts " with no trees or green spaces nearby.Hilary McGrady, director general of the Trust, said the...