Island Press Field Notes

Unlike most annual crops, the roots of long-lived trees can penetrate through soils to great depth to reach water (Figure 1).  If we can’t tell how deeply roots penetrate, how do we determine when trees run out of water?  One way is to monitor the moisture status of leaves and twigs, because these are connected through the sapwood in branches, stems, and roots to water deep underground.

A healthier planet requires an overhaul of our economic system, and workers collaborating with climate justice movements would be doubly powerful. But the connections between them aren’t widely known.

The agency jettisons expert panels providing guidance on important health and environmental issues.

To build a resilient future, we must reckon with the fact that profound change is now inevitable. But that change is a beginning as well as an end—an opportunity to hit the “reset” button on how we live.