#forestc

Beneath every forest lies a hidden network: alive, connected, and constantly communicating 🌲 Through underground fungal networks, trees share nutrients, send warnings, and care for one another. Mother trees help young seedlings survive, and even different species cooperate. Forests aren’t just collections of trees – they are living communities. When old growth is lost, we lose centuries of this connection, resilience, and communities. And despite promises to protect them, the equivalent of 100 soccer fields of irreplaceable old growth is logged every day in B.C. Take action to protect old growth forests and the communities they support at the link in our bio.

As a forester and an ecologist people always ask me — how do I decide which trees to cut?? The first thing to recognize is that, at least for me, it’s not about the trees that we’re cutting as much as the habitats and the other conditions that we’re creating. I often tell people: “I love trees, but I love forests more.” As much as trees are beautiful, the complex living system that we call a “forest” is so much more than trees. Within this system, the death of trees is a profound and important process, and — if we do it well — we can leverage tree mortality and the important natural processes that follow it to restore forests, creating many of the habitats and the attributes that have been lost from this landscape over the last several centuries. I have more videos coming where I’ll “zoom in” on individual tree selection, but what I want to highlight in this video is how the process of restoring forests — like forests themselves — exists on multiple scales: On an individual tree-level, I’m focused on “releasing” the healthiest trees in the forest by cutting less-healthy trees that are competing with them. I especially am looking for tree species that are well-suited to the site, and climate-adapted tree species — which here in VT means oaks and hickories. On a forest-level, I’m trying to restore many of the conditions that were once that norm on this landscape — a gappy, irregular canopy, a multi-aged and multi-layered, complex forest structure, big and old trees, and dead wood on on the ground. This can be accomplished by cutting small “groups” of trees, as well as individual trees, retaining large and old “legacy trees” in perpetuity, and leaving lots of dead wood on the ground. Finally, on a landscape-level we think about if we can create habitats that may be underrepresented on our landscape as a whole — like pockets of “early-successional” habitat — and to protect or enhance habitats that are rare, or important to declining species. #restoration #forestry #ecology #nature #science

Can someone explain this please? #trees #nature #how #explain

I love chilling with the tallest trees in the world in one of the last old growth redwood forests left in California. Protecting mature and old growth forests should be a number 1 priority globally, not just in California. But instead corrupt senators want to remove the roadless rule to log old growth and build mines, in the name of wildfire prevention. When only 4% of the old growth redwood forest remains. Old growth trees take generations to return, and monoculture second growth lumber forests are factory farms forestry style that always make wildfires worse. Redwood trees are the tallest trees in the world and live to be over 2 thousand years old. While being extremely fire resistant. The one thing that can destroy them is human greed. That’s why laws that protect old growth forests on public land are so important. Stop falling for the lies! Protect old growth forests in California and Canada before they are gone. #oldgrowth #forest #redwoods #logging #trees

No matter the season, I’ve never met a tree I didn’t love. There’s something grounding about standing among them, quiet strength, resilience, life stretching skyward. Today on International Day of Forests, it’s worth remembering that forests are more than just beautiful backdrops… they are some of our planet’s most vital ecosystems. They regulate our climate.�They sustain communities.�They shelter an extraordinary range of biodiversity. Forests also provide income and jobs for over 1.6 billion people worldwide, supplying essential raw materials that so many livelihoods depend on. And as our world faces increasing environmental challenges, their importance has never been clearer. Sustainability isn’t optional -it’s crucial. Forests don’t ask for much, but they give us everything. Today, take a moment. Step outside. Look up.�Because protecting forests isn’t just about saving trees… it’s about protecting our future. #LoveNature #Trees #Forests

The Secret Social Life of Trees 🌳 Did you know trees are not solitary beings? Beneath the forest floor, a vast, hidden network connects them. Through underground fungal networks—what scientists call the “Wood Wide Web”—trees share nutrients, send warnings, and even help their neighbors survive. Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist, discovered that trees can recognize their own kin and preferentially share resources with them: “Trees talk to each other. They share nutrients and help their kin survive. Forests are social networks, not just collections of individuals.” Even renowned naturalist David Attenborough reminds us that forests are living communities: “What we see as a forest is not just a collection of trees, but a complex, living community, each member contributing to the survival of the whole.” In essence, trees teach us that life thrives not in isolation but in connection. They remind us that cooperation, communication, and care are essential—not just for forests, but for all life on Earth. 🌿 Next time you walk among the trees, remember: you’re stepping into a bustling, whispering community, a network of life older and wiser than humans. #herbalwellness #trees #nature #forest #forestbiology

#grow #tree #bark #fire #forest

Just because these forests are replanted does not mean they are green or sustainable. Monoculture forests like these are more susceptible to wildfires compared to uncut old-growth forests. They have lower biodiversity, poorer soil quality, and negatively affect water quality. Old-growth forests will not return through clear-cutting and monoculture; they can only recover through selective thinning and careful management. Yes, we need lumber, especially with demand from the United States, but there are better systems we can put in place that preserve—and even improve—forest quality, mainly selective harvesting and thinning. In some cases, ecosystem clear-cutting can be beneficial (for fire breaks, species control, etc.). However, clear-cutting coastal temperate rainforests does not mimic natural wildfire patterns and shows no clear benefits beyond increasing corporate profit margins. Some species, such as deer and elk, may temporarily benefit from clear-cutting, but this only lasts until the canopy closes and the undergrowth can no longer sustain them. I have nothing against the men and women in the logging industry, who work harder than just about anyone I know. #pnw #clearcut #conservation

Second clip is the stump of a Western Red Cedar likely cut in the early 1900s, it measured 16 feet in diameter at breast hight Just because these forests are replanted does not mean they are green or sustainable. Monoculture forests like these are more susceptible to wildfires compared to uncut old-growth forests. They have lower biodiversity, poorer soil quality, and negatively affect water quality. Old-growth forests will not return through clear-cutting and monoculture; they can only recover through selective thinning and careful management. Yes, we need lumber, especially with demand from the United States, but there are better systems we can put in place that preserve—and even improve—forest quality, mainly selective harvesting and thinning. In some cases, ecosystem clear-cutting can be beneficial (for fire breaks, species control, etc.). However, clear-cutting coastal temperate rainforests does not mimic natural wildfire patterns and shows no clear benefits beyond increasing corporate profit margins. Some species, such as deer and elk, may temporarily benefit from clear-cutting, but this only lasts until the canopy closes and the undergrowth can no longer sustain them. I have nothing against the men and women in the logging industry, who work harder than just about anyone I know. #pnw #photographer #clearcut #conservation

The other day I went and checked out an old growth forest stand that hadn’t been logged, and it was frigging gorgeous! According to the government listing, the age of this stand was 450 years old, a distinction made from averaging the ages of it’s biggest trees. I was there with @intheshadowofgiants1 , who took a core sample from one of the big trees in the stand in order to age it, and found it to be closer to…drumroll plea 1,343 years old. This was an estimate made from counting rings from the first 45 cm of the tree, and then extrapolated based on the width of the tree, and this method faces a bit of scrutiny because it’s based on average growth over the trees life versus a detailed coring of every single year, which are much harder to obtain without cutting the tree down. Accounting for any potential inaccuracies or variabilities, even if the tree was only 1200 or even 1000 years old, it’s still 2 to 3 times the age of the stand classification while still not even being one of the biggest or most notable trees in the area, and to me, this is hints at the level of nuance and variability within these ecosystems, and our shortcomings in appropriately understanding and valuing them. A tree that is 1,343 year old is over over 8.5x the age of Canada as a nation, existing in a forest the government says is only 450 years old, which makes up less that .05% of all the forests in the province of BC because nearly everything else has been clearcut logged in the short, 160 years Canada has existed, and it continues to be today. These forests are continually logged and extracted by colonial capitalist systems in order to maximize profits to a handful of individuals while simultaneously destroying the lands and waters that our communities depend on. Once these forests are clearcut logged, they are essentially gone forever, and yet we’re still wildly underestimating their age, complexity and importance for the sake of short-term privatized profits that don’t even benefit us. It’s time we cut the madness and stop cutting these forests down to keep these trees standing and the ecosystems they create for years to come. #oldgrowth #forest #logging #nature #tree #bc

The Forest Where Trees Communicate Underground In many forests around the world, particularly in regions like Canada, scientists have discovered that trees are not as isolated as they appear. Beneath the soil lies a vast underground network often referred to as the “wood wide web,” where trees are connected through symbiotic relationships with fungi. One of the most studied examples of this system can be found in forests of British Columbia. This network is formed by mycorrhizal fungi, which attach themselves to tree roots. The fungi extend far into the soil, connecting multiple trees together. Through this system, trees can exchange nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and water. Larger, older trees—sometimes called “mother trees”—can even support younger seedlings by transferring essential resources to help tsend chemical signals. For example, if a tree is attacked by insects or disease, it can release warning signals through the fungal network. Nearby trees receiving this signal may respond by increasing their own defensive chemicals, making them less vulnerable to the same threat. This underground communihem grow in shaded conditions. Beyond nutrient sharing, research suggests that trees may also use this network to links trees together, allowing them to share, support, and respond to their environment in ways that were once thought impossible. #viral #funny #viralreels #obesity #fat

Just because these forests are replanted does not mean they are green or sustainable. Monoculture forests like these are more susceptible to wildfires compared to uncut old-growth forests. They have lower biodiversity, poorer soil quality, and negatively affect water quality. Old-growth forests will not return through clear-cutting and monoculture; they can only recover through selective thinning and careful management. Yes, we need lumber, especially with demand from the United States, but there are better systems we can put in place that preserve—and even improve—forest quality, mainly selective harvesting and thinning. In some cases, ecosystem clear-cutting can be beneficial (for fire breaks, species control, etc.). However, clear-cutting coastal temperate rainforests does not mimic natural wildfire patterns and shows no clear benefits beyond increasing corporate profit margins. Some species, such as deer and elk, may temporarily benefit from clear-cutting, but this only lasts until the canopy closes and the undergrowth can no longer sustain them. I have nothing against the men and women in the logging industry, who work harder than just about anyone I know. #pnw #clearcut #conservation