Island Press Field Notes blog

Island Press Field Notes

Island Press

By Richard Waring, Joe Landsberg / On August 23rd, 2022

When we were growing up, we thought that the only really tall trees in the western U.S. were giant redwoods in northwestern California. It wasn’t until Richard moved to Oregon in the early 1960s that he discovered not only are redwoods exceptionally...

A colorful frog on a branch. Photo by Thomas Marent.

By Erica Sánchez Vázquez / On September 19th, 2019

Photos from the book Rainforest showcase the beauty and diversity of our planet's rainforests.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

By Jada Mosley / On April 16th, 2019

We turned to some of our authors to find out—What do they think will be the most pressing climate change issue in the next 50 years? Why?

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By Richard Waring / On February 18th, 2019

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...

By Jada Mosley / On February 8th, 2019

The landscapes of North America, including eastern forests, have been shaped by humans for millennia, through fire, agriculture, hunting, and other means.

Island Press

By Joe Landsberg, Richard Waring / On November 2nd, 2017

Wouldn’t it be a splendid irony if reaction to Trump’s short-sighted stupidity led to an increase in tree planting that might otherwise be difficult to achieve?

By Dominick A. DellaSala / On April 25th, 2016

This week, more than 193 nations will celebrate Earth Day. The annual event is a marker for the environmental movement begun on April 22, 1970, when Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson organized a peaceful teach-in. At the time, rivers were on fire, oil spills...

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By Dominick A. DellaSala / On February 3rd, 2016

This blog originally appeared on JunauEmpire.com and is reposted with permission. Change is not for the risk averse. It is...

Photo credit: Supreme Court Pediment by Flickr.com user Kevin Harber

By John Pastor / On January 31st, 2016

Unable to gather support from Maine's congressional delegation, supporters of a North Woods national park are now setting their sights on a new goal: getting President Obama to...

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By Dominick A. DellaSala / On October 6th, 2015

I began my career as forest ecologist in the 1990s, cataloging the remarkable web-of-life in the old-growth rainforests of Prince of Wales Island. Since then, I have worked with rainforest ecologists around the world to document exceptional places like...

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