Tree Rings Bear Witness to Illegal Gold Mining Operations in the Amazon, New Study Finds
Mercury concentrations in fig trees could provide useful information about mining activity in the rainforest over time
A New Satellite Will Map the Carbon Content of Rainforests From Space, and It’s Set to Launch This Month
The European Space Agency’s new probe, Biomass, will spend five years orbiting the planet and gathering radar imagery of forests across multiple continents
Being Struck by Lightning Is No Big Deal for This Tropical Tree—the Zap Even Gives It a Boost
The almendro tree may have evolved to attract lightning, which helps clear more space for it to grow, according to new research
What Happens to a Tree That Dies in a Forest?
Rotting logs turn out to be vital to forest biodiversity and recycling organic matter
See the Breathtaking Landscape Paintings Inspired by the Boreal Forest, From Europe to North America
Titled “Northern Lights,” a new exhibition in Switzerland showcases artworks of the taiga made between 1888 and 1937
Fossilized Poop Reveals How Extinct, Flightless Birds Helped Spread New Zealand’s Colorful Fungi
The upland moa was likely drawn to the fungi because of their resemblance to berries, scientists say, allowing the creature to fill a role typically played by mammals
Four Lynx Have Been Illegally Released Into the Scottish Highlands. Officials Think ‘Guerrilla Rewilding’ Is to Blame
So far, only two of the four lynx have been recaptured, leaving authorities scrambling across the snowy woods to find the missing cats
Meet the Tiny, Adorable Owls That Have Mastered the Art of Hiding
One of the smallest owls in North America, the northern saw-whet lives among us and is rarely seen—but one volunteer science project aims to find them and uncover their secrets year after year
Expedition Discovers 27 New Species in Peru, From an ‘Exceedingly Rare’ Amphibious Mouse to a Blob-Headed Fish
The hidden creatures were found in a densely populated region known for its successful—and controversial—conservation tactics
How a Team of Gophers Restored Mount St. Helens After Its Catastrophic Eruption With Less Than a Day of Digging
After the volcanic eruption of 1980, scientists released the burrowing rodents for only a brief time, but their activities left a remarkably enduring impact, according to a new study
More Than One in Three Tree Species Around the Globe Are at Risk of Disappearing, New Report Finds
An assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature paints a grim picture of the extinction risk of the world’s trees
The ‘World’s Most Famous Grizzly’ Was Killed by a Car. Was Her Death Preventable?
Grizzly 399 became a celebrity of Grand Teton National Park in her lifetime. Now, her death has drawn attention to wildlife-vehicle collisions and how they might be reduced
What 30 Years of Studying the New England Woods Reveals About the Colors of Changing Leaves
An ecologist’s long walks and detailed observations allowed him to chronicle the shifts in an iconic habitat and grow a once-overlooked branch of science
A Treasure Hunter Just Uncovered the $100,000 Prize Hidden in the Massachusetts Woods
Two weeks ago, organizers of Project Skydrop stashed a golden statuette in a secret location somewhere in the northeastern United States
This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing
In 1978, Soviet geologists stumbled upon a family of five in the taiga. They had been cut off from almost all human contact since fleeing religious persecution in 1936
How One Researcher Accidentally Killed One of the Oldest Trees in the World
In 1964, a graduate student cut down a bristlecone pine in Nevada. The tree, now known as Prometheus, turned out to be nearly 5,000 years old
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
Honor the Natural Beauty of These Tremendous Trees With 15 Photographs From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
Find your inner Lorax and enjoy the glory of the forest and the trees in these submissions
Why Are Giant, Ancient Tropical Trees Dying?
Scientists from an international project are racing to figure out what kills these anchors of their ecosystems—before it’s too late to save them
No, Dinosaurs Did Not Trudge Through Thick Rainforests
The first jungles dense with flowering plants only formed after an asteroid impact wiped out the giant creatures
Chimpanzees May Self-Medicate With Plants, Using the Forest as a Pharmacy
New research suggests sick chimps seek out and eat plants with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties—a finding that could advance drug discovery for humans
Page 1 of 10