Forests | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/forests/RSS feed for ForestsenTue, 20 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000The World's Tallest Trees Seem to Struggle to Make Their Own Food During Heat Waves, Leaving Them Vulnerable as the World Warmshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-tallest-trees-seem-to-struggle-to-make-their-own-food-during-heat-waves-leaving-them-vulnerable-as-the-world-warms-180989714/Coast redwoods, which grow only from central California to southern Oregon, slow photosynthesis when temperatures ramp up, according to a new study. Scientists worry about the towering plants' future amid climate changeTue, 20 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-tallest-trees-seem-to-struggle-to-make-their-own-food-during-heat-waves-leaving-them-vulnerable-as-the-world-warms-180989714/Two New Stick Insect Species Have Been Discovered in Australia—and Another One Was Hiding in Plain Sighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-new-stick-insect-species-have-been-discovered-in-australiaand-another-one-was-hiding-in-plain-sight-180989575/The new discoveries emphasize that scientists have a lot left to learn about insect diversity, even in areas with many observationsFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:03:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-new-stick-insect-species-have-been-discovered-in-australiaand-another-one-was-hiding-in-plain-sight-180989575/A Lake in Canada Got a Mysterious New Island. Then, It Disappeared—and Now It's Backhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-lake-in-canada-got-a-mysterious-new-island-then-it-disappeared-and-now-its-back-180989442/The floating forest appeared in a well-mapped reservoir in British Columbia. Its presence and vanishing act have puzzled locals and officials at the power utility that operates the lake, but other similar islands exist elsewhereThu, 03 Sep 2026 19:15:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-lake-in-canada-got-a-mysterious-new-island-then-it-disappeared-and-now-its-back-180989442/Forests Didn't Fare Well During an Ancient Global Warming Event, Offering a 'Cautionary' Tale About Today's Climate Changehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forests-didnt-fare-well-during-an-ancient-global-warming-event-offering-a-cautionary-tale-about-todays-climate-change-180989353/An intense global warming event 56 million years ago caused a forest in modern-day Wyoming to lose around 60 percent of its canopy cover, and it took more than 100,000 years to bounce back, a study suggestsFri, 28 Aug 2026 18:43:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forests-didnt-fare-well-during-an-ancient-global-warming-event-offering-a-cautionary-tale-about-todays-climate-change-180989353/