While greenhouse gas pollution has lots of down sides, there’s one potential benefit: Carbon dioxide is food for plants. As CO 2 levels rise in the atmosphere, some plants are expected to enjoy a ...

We don’t often think about the roots of trees until there is a problem. A forester friend of mine called it a “fencepost mentality.” Being underground, they are often out of sight out of mind. However ...

A team of researchers has detailed the varied ways tree roots of different sizes interact with their surrounding soil, revealing a structured system of chemical communication. The study, led by ...

Microbes could help oak trees cope with environmental change. Publishing February 11 in the Cell Press journal Cell Host & Microbe, a study observing oaks growing in a natural woodland found that the ...

Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Tree root systems are seldom on the minds of forest owners, tree planters, ...