Aging and ailing, ‘Message Tree’ at Woodstock concert site is reluctantly cut down

Aging and ailing, ‘Message Tree’ at Woodstock concert site is reluctantly cut down

Masses of people at the 1969 Woodstock festival stopped by the towering red maple tree a little ways off from the main stage. Many scrawled messages on paper scraps or cardboard and attached them to the old tree’s trunk. “SUSAN, MEET YOU HERE SATURDAY 11 A.M., 3 P.M. or 7 P.M.,” read one note left … Read more

An ancient African tree is providing a new ‘superfood’ yet local harvesters are barely surviving

An ancient African tree is providing a new ‘superfood’ yet local harvesters are barely surviving

K0TWA, Zimbabwe — Since childhood, Loveness Bhitoni has collected fruit from the gigantic baobab trees surrounding her homestead in Zimbabwe to add variety to the family’s staple corn and millet diet. The 50-year-old Bhitoni never saw them as a source of cash, until now. Climate change-induced droughts have decimated her crops. Meanwhile, the world has … Read more

El Comandante Hernández leads ‘Tree Army’ in defense of Mexico City’s trees

El Comandante Hernández leads ‘Tree Army’ in defense of Mexico City’s trees

MEXICO CITY — Scooting on his electric skateboard through a southern Mexico City neighborhood, Arturo Hernández spots a likely target for his next action and uploads a photo to social media calling his followers to help. A couple of days later, he and several of them are swinging sledgehammers at a thick layer of concrete … Read more

‘Being near trees helps you live longer,’ says Dr Tara Swart

‘Being near trees helps you live longer,’ says Dr Tara Swart

It may have been widely ridiculed but it appears that tree hugging might, in fact, relieve stress and lead to a longer life, says a new study. Roaming through woods and forests while ­tuning in to the birdsong actually releases chemicals which improve our immune system, it is claimed. Dr Tara Swart, lecturer at The … Read more

Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein

Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein

An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the Sunshine State’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried up over the past two decades due to two fatal diseases, greening and citrus canker, … Read more

Only the Hardiest Trees Can Survive Today’s Urban Inferno

Only the Hardiest Trees Can Survive Today’s Urban Inferno

The rules for Toronto’s ravines are based on the idea that a species will develop traits specific to a location as they grow over many generations. As a result, trees grown from seeds gathered in Toronto may be more likely to blossom when native pollinators are active than seeds from the same species grown at … Read more

Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining spring

Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining spring

Allergy season is here — and it’s earlier and stronger than expected. More than 80 million Americans deal with itchy eyes, runny nose and other symptoms of seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The level of misery people will face depends on where they live and what they’re allergic to, … Read more

Tree Wisdom: a guide to nature’s restorative energy and wellbeing | Books | Entertainment

Tree Wisdom: a guide to nature’s restorative energy and wellbeing | Books | Entertainment

Tree Wisdom: a guide to nature’s restorative energy and wellbeing (Image: Getty) The UK itself is home to 123 million of them and has many historic giants, like the 1,000-year-old Allerton Oak in Liverpool. Sadly, over the last century, Britain has lost 50 per cent of its ancient woodland – planted before or during the … Read more

Stop Planting Trees, Says Guy Who Inspired World to Plant a Trillion Trees

Stop Planting Trees, Says Guy Who Inspired World to Plant a Trillion Trees

In a cavernous theater lit up with the green shapes of camels and palms at COP28 in Dubai, ecologist Thomas Crowther, former chief scientific adviser for the United Nations’ Trillion Trees Campaign, was doing something he never would have expected a few years ago: begging environmental ministers to stop planting so many trees. Mass plantations … Read more