Island Press Field Notes blog

Island Press Field Notes

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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 Maggie Hart Stebbins, Paul Summerfelt / On March 29th, 2018

If you’ve got clean, abundant water, thank a forest — and do what you can to protect it. Don’t wait for the well, or the taps, to run dry.

By Edward Struzik / On October 2nd, 2017

In a world of bigger, hotter fires, it is time to think of forests as vital infrastructure, and to invest in preserving these resources for the future

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...