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Trees

Can Cypress Trees Help Suppress Wildfires?

Researchers in Italy and Spain suspect that cypress tree barriers could diffuse forest fires

New Research

Earth is Home to 3.02 Trillion Trees

That’s a few more than expected

"Flatties" might be more aptly nicknamed "fliers" for their ability to glide to safety should they lose their grip in tree canopies.

New Research

Gliding Spiders Found Falling From Tropical Trees

Flat-bodied spiders that live in the rainforest strike a Superman pose to take control of their free-falls

Looking at tree density on a city scale.

Innovative Spirit Health Care

This New Mapping Tool Shows City Planners Where to Plant Trees

Researchers at Portland State University have created an app that looks at tree density in respect to neighborhood, population and pollution

Visit the World’s Most Amazing Old-Growth Forests

Here are some of the best places to hug centuries-old trees

Cool Finds

This is What Happened When an Australian City Gave Trees Email Addresses

Trees get fan mail and even write back to Melburnian residents

Redwood tree canopy in California

Cool Finds

Here’s A Map of All the Trees in California

Every meter covered by trees shows up

Lyra — A baobab in Botswana.

Stunning Photos of Africa’s Oldest Trees, Framed by Starlight

“Diamond Nights” captures the surreal beauty of ancient trees after nightfall

Older community barbershops in Detroit serve as community gathering places.

Barbers Are Giving Buzz Cuts to Detroit’s Overgrown Lots

A new project funded by a Knight Cities grant has local barbers and landscape contractors working to revitalize vacant spaces

Cool Finds

70-Year-Old Tree Cut Down in NYC Will be Cloned and Planted Again

Residents of Astoria, Queens asked an arborist for help when a beloved neighborhood tree got the ax

New Research

The Tallest Muir Woods Redwood Is Way Younger Than Scientists Expected

New dating studies show the tree is only 777 years old

American chestnut seed

New Research

Turning the American Chestnut into a GMO Might be the Only Way to Save it

Adding wheat genes could help the tree fight off blight

Methuselah the Judean Date Palm is still going strong even after sprouting from a 2,000-year-old seed.

Cool Finds

Tree Grown From 2,000-Year-Old Seed Has Reproduced

Age doesn’t have much on this rare piece of greenery sprouted from a seed discovered in an ancient Israeli site

Are QR Codes Safe and Other Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Is fine chocolate slipping through our fingers?

The World of Chocolate

How to Save the Chocolate Tree Without Sacrificing Flavor

Demand, disease and climate change are threatening cocoa, but a new breed of clones could keep the treat abundant and tasty

You can thank these Theobroma cacao flowers for your brownie sundae.

The World of Chocolate

You Wouldn’t Have Chocolate Without Invisible Flies and Extreme Yeast

It takes a wild and temperamental menagerie to bring the beloved candy to store shelves. Bon appétit!

Cool Finds

A 10,000-Year-Old Forest Has Been Discovered, And It’s Under Water

Ancient oak trees found on the bottom of the North Sea represent a prehistoric woodland that likely spanned thousands of acres

Here is the artist's rendition of what a Tree of 40 Fruit will look like at 10 years.

Art Meets Science

A Tree Grows 40 Different Types of Fruit

What started as an art project has become a mission to reintroduce Americans to native fruits that have faded from popularity

Cool Finds

Get Past the Vile Smell: Ginkgo Nuts Are Delicious

People have been feasting on these tasty little morsels since at least the 11th century

Douglas firs in the American West.

Cool Finds

Extreme Drought in New Mexico Cost a 650-Year-Old Tree Its Life

The 7-foot-tall douglas fir named Yoda managed to weather many a drought over the centuries, but not this last one

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