International Day of #Forests: #Climate #resilience in action

March 21, 2026, #BirdLifeInternational

"Today is International Day of Forests! Covering almost a third of the Earth’s land, forests contain over 80% of all land animals, insects and plant species, and are home for around 300 million people. Forests recycle the air we breathe, purify water, regulate rainfall and store carbon, making them a key player in the fight against #ClimateChange.

"Worldwide, climate change is intensifying floods, droughts, heatwaves and fire, leading to degraded forest landscapes that negatively impact the biodiversity and communities that depend on them. But across our partnership, #BirdLifePartners are showing how locally led, #NatureBasedSolutions can reduce risk and protect livelihoods, helping #communities and #ecosystems adapt.

"The Forest Impact Accelerator was designed precisely for this purpose: to turn promising ideas into investable, durable solutions that strengthen climate resilience while conserving #biodiversity and boosting local livelihoods."

Learn more:
https://www.birdlife.org/news/2026/03/21/international-day-of-forests-climate-resilience-in-action/

#SolarPunkSunday #ForestsAreLife #WaterIsLife #SaveTheForests

So, one of the topics I'll be covering for this week's #SolarPunkSunday is #InvasiveInsects. #MDACF has been posting some really good information about a variety of pests, and offers natural solutions for some of them. Topics include #JumpingWorms, #EmeraldAshBorer, #HemlockWoollyAdelgid, #BoxTreeMoth and #SpottedLanternflies.

#InvasiveSpeciesAwareness #InvasiveSpeciesWeek #InvasiveSpecies #AshTrees #BoxElders #SaveTheForests #ProtectTheTrees #SolarPunkSunday #Biocontrol #HemlockTrees #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry

More #DataCenters coming to #Illinois as residents complain about #noise, electric bills: What to know

by Jason Knowles, Maggie Green, Feb 17, 2026

Excerpt: "When David Szala moved into his Aurora home in 2015, he knew he was by a data center.

" 'You can hear it as soon as you walk out. Fans, just constant with the noise,' Szala said.

"But in recent years, the #CyrusOne #DataCenter campus has expanded significantly.

"Szala and his neighbor, Bryan Castro, both say they hear cooling fans all day and night, and sometimes, generators create more noise.

" 'You feel it in your bones,' Szala said.

"Castro says the buzzing bounces through his backyard, which looked a lot different when he moved there in 2007.

" 'You can feel the vibrations in the house,' Castro said. 'This was 25 acres of nothing but forest.' "

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/more-data-centers-coming-to-illinois-as-residents-complain-about-noise-electric-bills-what-to-know/ar-AA1Wyml9

#NoDatacenters #NoisePollution #DatacentersSuck #Wildlife #SaveTheForests

So, I missed the #EAB update from #MaineDACF, but since I registered for the event, I was sent the link to the video update. One thing I learned is that #Woodpeckers are #EmeraldAshBorer's natural enemy. But once EAB sets in, it's too much for the woodpeckers to handle. But if it's an early infestation, they *might* be able to control it! Just another reason to #GardenForBirds and #FeedTheBirds in the winter (and my woodpecker friends LOVE the wormy suet I make for them).

Here's a screenshot from the presentation. Also, the term "blonding" mentioned in the image refers to the process of older gray bark falling off an ash tree that has an EAB infestation, leaving behind lighter-colored newer bark.

The full video can be viewed at this link (includes transcript):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ogbMReBx38

#InvasiveSpecies #AshTrees
#SaveTheForests #ProtectTheTrees #ProtectTheSacred #Stewardship #Wabanaki #Basketry #SolarPunkSunday #Biocontrol #MaineTrees #MaineForestryService #MDIFW

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

#Australia - NATIVE NUTS FOR FOLIAGE AND FOOD

"The so called 'Hawaiian Nut', more accurately, the Queensland or macadamia nut, - is one of the most popular culinary nuts of the world. It is also the only native Australian food with widespread popularity, even though many people are still unaware that it is a native.

"Macadamia nuts are not, however, the only edible nut native to Australia. The nuts discussed below are all native and well worthwhile cultivating for their foliage and food. While #AustralianAborigines made extensive use of native produce, the white settlers and subsequent migrants have been reluctant to do so.

"The importation of exotic species in many instances has been at the expense of native species. Bunya-bunya pines, for example, have suffered enormous damage at the hands of loggers, because of their fine timber. Nuts from this pine, however, are among the best of the native nuts and deserve to be cultivated as much as macadamias.

"The use of native nuts, as with other native foods, need not be a replacement for exotic imported species, but an addition. We can still enjoy roasted almonds, as well as roasted bunya bunya nuts. Cultivating and growing native species ensures their survival and expansion. The macadamia nut, for example, is assured survival because it has become popular. Unfortunately, humans seem to respond when they exploit a species, rather than letting that species exist for its own sake. The great hope of conservation is not the preservation of species for human consumption and use, but the conservation of species per se.

"Native species are suited to native conditions, and it makes more sense to grow native species in their own habitat than to clear that habitat and try to adjust an imported species on that terrain. This, however, does not mean that any native species can be grown anywhere throughout Australia. Species that grow well in #TropicalRainforests, may do poorly (if at all) in cold temperate regions.

"Cultivating native species fits in well with #permaculture and any system of #SustainableAgriculture. Indeed, it should become an indispensable part of #sustainable agricultural practices.

"The fragile state of Australian forests cannot be overemphasised. Never pick fruit or seeds from national parks or any protected area. Native forests present us the opportunity to study the plants in their natural habitat, and as the cliche runs, 'Take only photographs and leave only footprints'."

Web page includes:
- Caring For Trees
- People And Places
- Fruits And Nuts
- Recipes
- Helpful Hints

Learn more:
https://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/Fruits/Nuts/NativeNuts11-91.htm

#SolarPunkSunday #NutTrees #MacadamiaNuts #EbonyHeart #BushPeanut #BunyaNuts #BushTucker #NativeAustralianPlants #NativeAustralianFoods #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees `

From 2014: Passionate Couple, USDA, Team up for 'Miracle:' Bringing Back the American Chestnut

February 14, 2014 at 3:30 PM

"It was on a hilltop in eastern Kentucky where I first met James and Gail Cope, looking at the 27 newly planted American chestnut seedlings on their land. It was our common love for this rare tree that brought us together.

"American chestnut trees once dominated the Appalachian landscape, but during the early 1900s a fungus struck the trees causing them nearly to vanish. The American Chestnut Blight, an Asian fungus, first struck in 1904 in New York City and quickly spread, leaving in its wake a trail of dead and dying stems. By the 1950s, the keystone species of some nine million acres of forests had disappeared.

"The tree is important because it produces bushels of nuts for wildlife, and animals like squirrels, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, black bear, and grouse depend on the nuts for a major food source.

"The tree also has a history tied intimately with an earlier America. Commonly referred to as the 'redwood of the East,' the American chestnut tree was used to build cabins and fences and feed hogs.

"Through a Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Cope family is working with the American Chestnut Foundation to plant the trees and study how to reforest them successfully.

"This month, USDA is highlighting innovative agricultural and conservation efforts, and NRCS is currently accepting grant proposals.

"The grant of $500,000 from NRCS has enabled the foundation to create research orchards, like the one on the Copes’ land. The forests consist of chestnuts, northern red oaks and white pines, and the goal is to find ways to out compete the white pines.

The American Chestnut Foundation was founded in 1983 by a group of plant scientists who recognized the severe impact the demise of the American chestnut tree had on communities, forests and wildlife.

"The foundation started #crossbreeding American chestnut trees with #ChineseChestnutTrees, which are naturally resistant to the blight. Once a half American-half Chinese tree was created, it was then crossbred with an American, resulting in a 75 percent American chestnut tree. These trees don’t have any Chinese characteristics, except for a resistance to the blight.

"As a part of this grant program, the group or individual awarded the grant must work with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. In this case, they worked with the Cope family to study and monitor chestnut growth.

"The Copes’ enthusiasm made them a great candidate. Actually, James Cope still has the froe, a cutting tool, his grandparents used to split chestnut shake shingles and rails for split rail fences.

"We’re excited and hopeful about the work underway at the Copes’ land. One of the things I most love about my country is that even in the bleakest of circumstances, there is always room for a miracle. For me, one of those miracles is the 27 tiny American chestnuts struggling on a hillside in eastern #Kentucky."

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/passionate-couple-usda-team-miracle-bringing-back-american-chestnut

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #CastaneaDentata #AmericanChestnuts #AmericanChestnutTree #ChestnutTrees #ChestnutBlight

Holiday revelation: Wild #AmericanChestnuts thriving on biologist’s land in #Maine

21 December 2025

"A documentary-style environmental investigation reveals a remarkable and little-known success story: thousands of wild, healthy American chestnut trees flourishing on the Maine forest land of renowned biologist and author Dr #BerndHeinrich. Their vigorous natural growth—and possible blight resistance—directly counters long-held beliefs that the iconic species survives today only as scattered, doomed sprouts.

"Dr Heinrich, professor emeritus of the Biology Department at the #UniversityOfVermont and author of more than 20 books on biology, including the celebrated memoir A Year in the Maine Woods, has spent more than four decades observing the chestnuts on his hundreds of acres. Dr Heinrich has also authored over 100 scientific papers.

"In 1982 Heinrich planted wild American chestnut seedlings on his land. Since then, blue jays and squirrels have spread the trees widely across the forest. Working with University of Vermont students, he has documented well over a thousand thriving chestnut trees—some now representing three generations of natural regeneration. Each has been GPS-mapped through long-term field study.

"The Wild American Chestnut, a new film, produced by Global Justice Ecology Project (GJEP), captures Heinrich guiding viewers through this extraordinary landscape. The film discusses projections that the American chestnut is shifting its range northward due to climate change, opening new opportunities for survival beyond its historical geographic limits.

" 'This film presents some good news about the wild American chestnut and is a stark contrast to claims by some researchers that genetically engineered trees are the only path to restoration,' said Anne Petermann, Executive Director of GJEP. 'It was stunning to see so many robust trees—three full generations growing naturally—when the efforts to engineer blight-resistant chestnuts have produced nothing but failures.'

"This discovery unfolds against the backdrop of major setbacks for biotech-based restoration strategies. In December 2023, The American Chestnut Foundation withdrew its support for a genetically engineered chestnut that was decades in development, after multiple documented research errors revealed the tree to be genetically defective.

"The investigation filmed on Heinrich’s land provides a powerful counter-narrative: wild American chestnuts may already be mounting an unexpected comeback—quietly, naturally, and without genetic engineering."

Source:
https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/20625-holiday-revelation-wild-american-chestnuts-thriving-on-biologist-s-land-in-maine

To learn more about the film: TheWildAmericanChestnut.org

Or view the film on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebywGe-J730&feature=youtu.be

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #AmericanChestnutTree #ChestnutTrees #CastaneaDentata

So, attempts to create a blight-resistant #AmericanChestnutTree using wheat genes failed (gee, I wonder why)... However, cross-pollination (by hand) between American and Chinese #ChestnutTrees (the Chinese ones are resistant to blight) worked!!! Sometimes tried-and-true "old fashioned" tech is the best tech!

The fight for a fallen giant: Bringing back the American #chestnut

by N.C. Forest Service | May 3, 2024

"More than a century ago, the American chestnut (#CastaneaDentata) was a common overstory tree across portions of eastern North American forests. These giants thrived on moist, well drained slopes and ridges across the Appalachians, towering more than 100 feet tall with an average diameter at breast height (DBH) of five to eight feet. Their historical range extended into the southeastern deciduous forests of Canada and as far south as Florida.

"According to legend, American chestnut trees were once so abundant in eastern North America that a squirrel could travel the chestnut canopy from Georgia to Maine without ever touching the ground. However, fossil pollen records and early forest inventory records suggest the American chestnut may not have been as dominant a tree species across its entire range as depicted. Early forest inventories conducted by Emma Lucy Braun, a prominent forest ecologist and botanist, suggest the species was of surprisingly limited dominance in many parts across the Appalachians, except for the central and southern ranges.

"With their ability to rapidly sprout from stumps and reach maturity in as little as eight years, the American chestnut likely benefited from intensive logging of the past. This rapid regeneration, coupled with possible allelopathic properties that suppress competing trees, would have allowed them to quickly reclaim their place in the forest canopy following disturbance. This advantage may have been particularly significant in the northern part of their range, likely contributing to the historical accounts describing the American chestnut’s remarkable abundance across the landscape. Nonetheless, American chestnut reigned as a keystone species with immense ecological value. With its strong, rot resistant wood and abundant annual crop of nutrient dense chestnuts, the American chestnut was once an invaluable hardwood for humans and wildlife before the #ChestnutBlight decimated its populations in the early 1900s, leaving a lasting scar on eastern North American forests."

Learn more:
https://blog.ncagr.gov/2024/05/03/the-fight-for-a-fallen-giant-bringing-back-the-american-chestnut/

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #ChestnutTrees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees