Mycorrhizal fungi are the beneficial fungi which can form symbiotic relationships with the plant roots of nearly all evergreen species and approximately 60% of deciduous plants. This symbiotic relationship provides plant roots with additional surface area with which to absorb water and nutrients and allows the fungus to feed on sugars and starches produced by…
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Forest fragmentation, or habitat fragmentation, is the breakdown of habitat from a large, contiguous swath into smaller, distinct, discontinuous pieces. When habitat is broken apart three interrelated processes occur 1) reduction of the total amount of vegetation, in other words, habitat loss, 2) division of remaining vegetation into remnants or patches and 3) new land-use…
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Forests are undeniably integral to the supply of clean, drinking water available to populations living in the midwest and northeast. More than 52 million people in this region depend on surface water to drink, cook, bath and wash with and the majority of this water comes from forested lands. The general population is mostly unaware…
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Plants are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to escaping fire, they cannot get up and run. So, many plants have adapted specific traits for fire survival, using it to their advantage as an aid in reproduction or regeneration. These adaptations have made wildfires essential to some ecosystems. Fire ecology is an arm of…
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Biomass energy or “bioenergy” is energy from plants and plant-derived materials. Wood and wood products are the largest source of biomass fuel with many companies supplying bulk hardwood pellets for those who use them. However, other sources are being tested and used including; crops, grasses, woody plants, algae, residual waste from agricultural forestry and the…
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Now that fall is here, the harvest is happening, may be already complete in some regions or has already been wrapped up in others, most of us home gardeners in the north won’t think about planting again until the soil defrosts in the spring. But if your garden really thrived this year, you found some…
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Laurel wilt is a disease affecting redbay (Persea borbonia) which is a facultative wetland shrub or small tree throughout much of its range. This disease is caused by the introduction of a non-native fungus (Raffaelea lauricola) via the invasive ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus). Laurel wilt compromises the ability of the plant to uptake and transport water, causing leaves…
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Come this time of year squirrels are busy collecting and storing food for the winter. Grey squirrels compete with many other animals for food and habitat, so they normally bury a lot of their forage in ground. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for the forests, they often forget where they have stashed their various prizes…
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The Urban Natural Resources Institute (UNRI) is performing research to investigate how trees in urban areas affect the physical environment; air temperature, wind, humidity, solar and thermal radiation. They are also studying the subsequent effects that changes in the physical environment have on health and happiness of the community, temperatures in soil and streams, energy usage…
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Project Canopy is a collaborative project implemented by the Maine Forest Service and GrowSmart Maine (http://growsmartmaine.org/)to preserve healthy urban and community forests for ecological and economic benefits to Maine residents as well as the global environment. Project Canopy works with non-profit organizations and municipalities to help maintain public forestry resources. They procure grants and technical assistance…
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