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Trees

The slice was taken from an area of the trunk roughly three feet above the ground.

New Research

By Counting Growth Rings, Researchers Solve the Mystery of the Sycamore Gap Tree’s Age

A new analysis shows that the historic tree was at least 100 to 120 years old in September 2023, when two men illegally chopped it down

The 2025 map shows predictions for each week between September 1 and November 17.

See When Fabulous Fall Foliage Will Peak in Your State With This Interactive Map

Use the tool’s week-by-week, county-by-county predictions to plan your autumnal adventures—and make the most of the 2025 leaf-peeping season

Arborists scaled the tree to douse the final flames on August 21.

World’s Tallest Douglas Fir Tree Damaged in Mysterious, Multi-Day Blaze, but It’s Alive After Firefighters Extinguish Flames

The fire started burning on August 16 and only affected a single tree—the historic Doerner Fir in southern Oregon. Authorities are still investigating the cause

Aspen trees are making a comeback at Yellowstone National Park.

Reintroduced Wolves Are Helping Baby Aspen Trees Flourish in Northern Yellowstone for the First Time in 80 Years, Study Suggests

The apex predators, restored to the park in 1995, appear to be keeping the local population of plant-eating elk in check, which allows aspen saplings to grow tall and healthy

A juvenile blacktip reef shark swims in shallow waters by the mangroves in Palau. This image was highly commended in the underwater category.

See 11 Stunning Images of Mangrove Forests and Their Wildlife, Showcasing the Trees’ Beauty and Fragility

The winners of the Mangrove Photography Awards shed light on the ecologically valuable but highly threatened coastal ecosystems

A Squamellaria plant grows on a tree in Fiji. As an epiphyte, its roots don't attach to the ground, so it needs to find an alternate source for nutrients rather than the soil.

Enemy Ant Colonies Are Peaceful Roommates in Apartment-Like Plants on Fiji. Scientists Discovered How This Delicate Coexistence Works

New research explores the surprising symbiotic relationship between tubers and different ant species at rainforest heights

Artist Charlie Whinney poses for a photo inside the installation he created around a section of the Sycamore Gap tree.

The Largest Section of the Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree Is Going on Display in England

The iconic tree was illegally chopped down in September 2023, but its memory will live on in the form of a new art installation that invites visitors to touch—and even embrace—a piece of its trunk

On June 10, state and tribal officials recovered the vessel from the water.

Cool Finds

This Dugout Canoe Made From a 12-Foot-Long Log Was Found Bobbing in a North Carolina River

The newly discovered vessel is one of 79 known dugout canoes that have been unearthed throughout the state

The Beni River snakes across the landscape in Bolivia, a country that has faced significant deforestation and is among the nations that have experienced the most forest loss globally.

These Colorful Satellite Views Reveal Our Forests in Unprecedented Detail and Showcase the Potential of the New Biomass Mission

The European Space Agency’s satellite will measure trunks, branches and stems in forests to shed light on how much carbon is stored in trees across various continents

The view from a research aircraft that scientists use to collect data from high in Earth’s atmosphere.

Scientists Are Just Beginning to Understand How Life Makes Clouds, and Their Discoveries May Drastically Improve Climate Science

Plants, plankton and sea spray all release elements that help the atmospheric blankets form

Artist Curtis Ingvoldstad poses next to the pencil sculpture he created from a damaged oak tree in John and Amy Higgins' yard in Minneapolis.

Thousands of Cheering Spectators Gather to Watch This 20-Foot-Tall No. 2 Pencil Get Sharpened

After a 2017 windstorm toppled the crown of their oak tree in Minneapolis, John and Amy Higgins hired artist Curtis Ingvoldstad to transform their beloved tree into a giant pencil sculpture

Anna's hummingbirds seem to be thriving amid urbanization in California, even as other hummingbird species have declined due to human activity.

California’s Hummingbirds Have Changed Their Beaks in Response to Backyard Feeders, Study Finds

With plenty of artificial nectar available, Anna’s hummingbirds have expanded their range northward and their beaks have tended to become longer and larger

Located in Northumberland National Park, the Sycamore Gap tree was well-known throughout England and beyond.

Two Men Convicted of Chopping Down England’s Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree in an Act of ‘Mindless Thuggery’

After five hours of deliberation, jurors found Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham guilty of criminal damage for felling the iconic tree that stood near Hadrian’s Wall

Tell Abu Saifi features housing units where soldiers and their families may have lived.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of Ancient Tree-Lined Road in Egyptian Military Fortress

Located in the northern Sinai Desert, the site is shedding new light on defensive structures built to protect Egypt’s eastern borders

Arborists are reforesting Detroit's Poletown East neighborhood with giant sequoias and other species of trees.

Giant Sequoias Are Taking Root in an Unexpected Place: Detroit

Arborists are planting urban groves of the world’s largest trees in one of the city’s most blighted neighborhoods

An aerial view of dredges at an illegal gold mining area in the Amazon region of Peru.

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

Biomass will monitor the Earth's tropical forests over the next five years.

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

A technician climbs a tower to locate lightning strikes in the study area on Panama's Barro Colorado Island.

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

Dead trees teem with life.

What Happens to a Tree That Dies in a Forest?

Rotting logs turn out to be vital to forest biodiversity and recycling organic matter

An iconic landmark and symbol of New York City, the Brooklyn Bridge has been featured in so many films and TV shows, it should be eligible for an Oscar and an Emmy.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Photos Capture What Makes America’s National Historic Landmarks So Iconic

See images of special attractions across the country from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

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