Why do coniferous trees in the Pacific Northwest grow so fast, so large, and live so long?

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 large, but that all the conifers (e.g., spruces, firs, cedars, hemlocks, and pines) grow taller and can live longer than their relatives elsewhere in the world (see Table 1).
Fort McMurray Fire | Courtesy of RCMP Fort McMurray

How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future: A Conversation with Edward Struzik

By Katharine Sucher / On October 4th, 2017
Edward Struzik's Firestorm is a "comprehensive and compelling" (Booklist) look at wildfires in the age of climate change. We sat down with Struik to talk about wildfire, first responders, and how megafires will shape our future. Have more questions for Struzik? Share them in the comments below. 
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Conservation in a world of uncertainty and change

By Charles G. Curtin / On October 20th, 2015
What does it mean to conserve is an era of ever growing rates of cultural, social, and ecological change? One dictionary definition of conservation I found defined it as the act of preserving, guarding, or protecting. But what does one guard or protect when gone is the certainty that even a particular habitat, species, park or preserve will remain viable in the relatively near future (next 100 or so years). What does that mean for how we conceive of conservation?
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Movin' On Up

By Biohabitats / On February 16th, 2015
Loggerhead sea turtle.
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The Wilderness Act at 50: Learning from the Imperfect

By Richard Waring / On August 28th, 2014
Editor's note: September 3 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act. To commemorate the anniversary, we asked a small group of Island Press authors to reflect on the influence of this law to date and how its role may or should change as we move into an uncertain future. We are sharing the series this week and next. This post was written by Richard Waring with assistance from coauthor Joe Landsberg.

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