The rainbow eucalyptus may look like a digital rendering of a kid’s drawing, but it’s 100% real. These trees (also known as rainbow gum, Mindanao gum, and Eucalyptus deglupta) have brown bark that peels away, revealing layers of color across the ROYGBIV spectrum.Rainbow eucalyptus are native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, but you can also find them in the United States, in places including Hawaii, Florida, and San Diego. READ MORE...

A study finds that close to a trillion trees could potentially be planted on Earth—enough to sequester more than 200 billion tons of carbon. But environmental change on this scale is no easy task.

Garden-related events include workshops in soil building and

You'll have to declare brutal warfare on the ants in your yard while embracing a tiny parasitoid wasp that eats its living prey from the inside out.

"Pollinators were the key," says Edgar Mora, reflecting on the decision to recognise every bee, bat, hummingbird and butterfly as a citizen of Curridabat during his 12-year spell as mayor.

(University of California - Santa Cruz) Restoration ecologist Karen Holl has a simple message for anyone who thinks planting 1 trillion trees will reverse the damage of climate change: 'We can't plant our way out of climate change.'

A brook runs through my Grandmas farm, That used to carry gold. My Grandpa -Benjamin- Did not yield the land, To the British, who wanted it dammed. In 1968, they took him in, To have his appendix removed, And Grandma never remarried. My Aunt Alice, Was a witch. She flew in on broomsticks We never […]

London (Charlotte Street, Rathbone Place) : Published as the Act directs ... by Wm. Woollett, engraver to His Majesty, 4 June, 1778.

Imad Bou-Hamad, Denis Larocque, Hatem Ben-Ameur

Source: Statist. Surv., Volume 5, 44--71.

Abstract:
This paper presents a non–technical account of the developments in tree–based methods for the analysis of survival data with censoring. This review describes the initial developments, which mainly extended the existing basic tree methodologies to censored data as well as to more recent work. We also cover more complex models, more specialized methods, and more specific problems such as multivariate data, the use of time–varying covariates, discrete–scale survival data, and ensemble methods applied to survival trees. A data example is used to illustrate some methods that are implemented in R.

Yen-Chi Chen.

Source: The Annals of Statistics, Volume 47, Number 4, 2174--2203.

Abstract:
In this paper we study the $alpha $-cluster tree ($alpha $-tree) under both singular and nonsingular measures. The $alpha $-tree uses probability contents within a set created by the ordering of points to construct a cluster tree so that it is well defined even for singular measures. We first derive the convergence rate for a density level set around critical points, which leads to the convergence rate for estimating an $alpha $-tree under nonsingular measures. For singular measures, we study how the kernel density estimator (KDE) behaves and prove that the KDE is not uniformly consistent but pointwise consistent after rescaling. We further prove that the estimated $alpha $-tree fails to converge in the $L_{infty }$ metric but is still consistent under the integrated distance. We also observe a new type of critical points—the dimensional critical points (DCPs)—of a singular measure. DCPs are points that contribute to cluster tree topology but cannot be defined using density gradient. Building on the analysis of the KDE and DCPs, we prove the topological consistency of an estimated $alpha $-tree.

Bret Zeldow, Vincent Lo Re III, Jason Roy.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 3, 1989--2010.

Abstract:
Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) is a flexible machine learning algorithm capable of capturing nonlinearities between an outcome and covariates and interactions among covariates. We extend BART to a semiparametric regression framework in which the conditional expectation of an outcome is a function of treatment, its effect modifiers, and confounders. The confounders are allowed to have unspecified functional form, while treatment and effect modifiers that are directly related to the research question are given a linear form. The result is a Bayesian semiparametric linear regression model where the posterior distribution of the parameters of the linear part can be interpreted as in parametric Bayesian regression. This is useful in situations where a subset of the variables are of substantive interest and the others are nuisance variables that we would like to control for. An example of this occurs in causal modeling with the structural mean model (SMM). Under certain causal assumptions, our method can be used as a Bayesian SMM. Our methods are demonstrated with simulation studies and an application to dataset involving adults with HIV/Hepatitis C coinfection who newly initiate antiretroviral therapy. The methods are available in an R package called semibart.

David Corlin Marchand, Ioan Manolescu.

Source: Bernoulli, Volume 26, Number 3, 1665--1705.

Abstract:
We study randomly growing trees governed by the affine preferential attachment rule. Starting with a seed tree $S$, vertices are attached one by one, each linked by an edge to a random vertex of the current tree, chosen with a probability proportional to an affine function of its degree. This yields a one-parameter family of preferential attachment trees $(T_{n}^{S})_{ngeq |S|}$, of which the linear model is a particular case. Depending on the choice of the parameter, the power-laws governing the degrees in $T_{n}^{S}$ have different exponents. We study the problem of the asymptotic influence of the seed $S$ on the law of $T_{n}^{S}$. We show that, for any two distinct seeds $S$ and $S'$, the laws of $T_{n}^{S}$ and $T_{n}^{S'}$ remain at uniformly positive total-variation distance as $n$ increases. This is a continuation of Curien et al. ( J. Éc. Polytech. Math. 2 (2015) 1–34), which in turn was inspired by a conjecture of Bubeck et al. ( IEEE Trans. Netw. Sci. Eng. 2 (2015) 30–39). The technique developed here is more robust than previous ones and is likely to help in the study of more general attachment mechanisms.

Rungie (Family)

The challenge is to maintain and develop the socioeconomic benefits from forests while safeguarding the resource. FAO’s State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 2014 argues that if the focus of data collection and policy is shifted from trees to people, forests can be sustainably managed to meet society’s growing demands. Read the most important findings: The formal forestry sector employs some 13.2 [...]

For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in towns and cities. By 2050, this number is expected to increase to 66 percent. The shift from rural to urban areas, mainly in Africa and Asia, is due to poverty and related socio-economic factors.   For the most part, the rapid expansion of cities [...]

Ancient trees are disappearing from protected national forests around the world. A look inside $100 billion market for stolen wood

Researchers compared tree rings from around the world to determine that a volcano on Santorini probably erupted in 1560 B.C.

Scotland needs to plant up to one billion trees to achieve the country’s ambitious climate change goals and help the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis, a group of environmental consultants have said.

For many people, lockdown has meant looking for joy in the natural world around us.

Virat Kohli posted a throwback picture of him posing with Anushka in a balcony with snow-clad mountains in the background.

Thirty Delaware farmers have fresh-cut and live Christmas trees available for First State families this holiday season, with local firs, spruces and pines in abundance - all easy to find at de.gov/christmastrees.

Volunteers of all ages are needed this month to help plant 8,800 hardwood seedlings along the Cypress Branch at Blackbird State Forest to enhance the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The planting will take place on Saturday, March 17, and Sunday, March 18, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at Blackbird State Forest’s Naudain Tract, 2076 Harvey Straughn Road, Townsend, Delaware 19734. The weekend tree planting is a “rain or shine” event. Equipment, including shovels, will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and wear boots or other work shoes. Snacks will be provided and commemorative T-shirts and patches will be given to both youth and adult volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. The project is a cooperative partnership between the Delaware Forest Service, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Division of Watershed Stewardship, and the Girl Scouts of the USA.

DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship Nonpoint Source Program is offering a free tree to Delaware residents in partnership with the Delaware Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program within the Department of Agriculture.

The Delaware Forest Service has published a new fifth edition of its popular "Big Trees of Delaware," a comprehensive list of the largest trees covering nearly 80 native and non-native species in the First State. Featuring full-color photos and high-quality illustrations of tree leaves, the book is available as a print edition at state forest offices, as well as an online PDF version to be downloaded or viewed on a web browser.  There is no cost for the book.

DOVER, Del. — Emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive insect from Asia that attacks and kills ash trees, has been confirmed in Newark, Delaware. Originally found in northern Delaware in 2016, recent infestations were confirmed in both Middletown and Seaford in November 2018. Current guidelines recommend the removal or treatment of ash trees if located […]

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What does it take to make a city greener? In San Francisco, it took a small group of motivated people to come together to create a nonprofit. After the city cut funding for urban forestry 36 years ago, seven individuals decided to take matters into their own hands. They created a nonprofit, Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF).

Starting with a Small Budget, FUF Plants Nearly Half San Francisco's Street Trees

The organization started off with just a small budget from a leftover city grant. Then it used grassroots efforts to rally neighborhoods throughout the city around urban trees. By empowering and supporting communities and homeowners to plant and care for their own trees, FUF has successfully planted 60,000 of the 125,000 trees in San Francisco. The group eventually even worked with the city to create San Francisco's first ever Urban Forest Plan.

FUF Harnesses the Power of Many Volunteers to Plant and Advocate for Trees

FUF is a member of TechSoup, and TechSoup's staffers were very excited to reach out for an interview to hear more about the group's impact. My team joined FUF early on a Saturday morning for its volunteer tree planting event in the Portola neighborhood, a part of the city that is lacking street trees. It was cold even by San Francisco standards, but there was an impressive turnout of volunteers present and ready to plant.

The executive director of FUF, Dan Flanagan, joined us and told us about his work. "We get to get out in the city and make it greener. We advocate for trees; I always call ourselves the Lorax of San Francisco. We are the only organization in San Francisco that is speaking for the trees."

FUF Gets the Chance to Plant Even More Trees … in Neighborhoods That Really Need Them

Dan was excited about a recent accomplishment for the organization. San Francisco just passed Proposition E, which opens up major opportunities for the nonprofit. As he said, "It changes the responsibility from street trees and sidewalks away from the homeowners and to the city. As a result, homeowners are no longer responsible, and now we actually get a chance to make the city more green than ever before by planting more trees in neighborhoods that couldn't afford it before."

This policy makes the city responsible for maintenance, but it will still require FUF to continue its work of planting the trees. FUF hopes to plant 1,700 trees this year and ultimately hopes to plant 3,000 trees every year.

FUF Puts Technology from TechSoup to Work

I was curious to find out how FUF was using technology to further its mission. Jason Boyce, individual gifts manager, said: "Here at Friends of the Urban Forest, a lot of our field staff tend to be out in the field all day; technology really needs to be out of the way to allow us to plant. So, as a result, the relationships we build with our community tend to be stronger because we use technology to enable our work, but it doesn't get in the way of our work."

Jason explained, "We have been working with ArcMap for years, ... GIS software that TechSoup has provided for us. We use it to plant trees, to figure out where we are going to plant. When we do our plantings, we actually dole out the maps that our volunteers use to do the plantings, and all that comes through ArcMap. We use Adobe Acrobat to put together our tree manuals for our new tree owners and volunteer manuals. We use AutoCAD to put together the permit drawings for our sidewalk gardens. Technology plays a really important role in doing our plantings and making San Francisco more green."

FUF Partners with the City to Calculate the Environmental Benefits of Trees

Jason also recently worked with the city on the Urban Forest Map, which is an interactive online map that tracks every tree in San Francisco. The map helps calculate the environmental benefits the trees provide, including stormwater mitigation, air pollutants captured, and carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. This platform has increased the visibility of the city's urban forest.

As Jason said, "We are now at the forefront of cities worldwide that are building software to manage their urban forests. … [This] really gives a lot of benefit to the people living in San Francisco."

TechSoup is proud to support organizations like Friends of the Urban Forest by enabling them with the technology they need. That support gives them more time to focus on their impact, like planting trees, or to build the communities that help them thrive.

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University of Georgia researchers are working to produce faster-growing sweetgum trees by growing embryogenic sweetgum cultures in bioreactors, computer-operated systems used for growing cells under controlled conditions.

Prague Daily Monitor

The high winds from the "orkan" of the past few days have caused an estimated 50,000 trees to fall in the Šumava National Park. The exact count of the damage to the park is still being calculated by park rangers.

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Fossilised tree roots found in a New York quarry are 386 million years old, making them the remains of the oldest known forest yet

Everyone seems to agree trees are a major solution to climate change, but there is a danger that mass reforestation could see us to continue pumping carbon into the atmosphere

A trillion new trees isn’t the only climate solution, but it is the cheapest and it would make a huge difference if we do it right, says ecologist Tom Crowther

Title: More Trees, Parks May Mean Longer Lives for City Dwellers
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM

A restoration ecologist has a simple message for anyone who thinks planting 1 trillion trees will reverse the damage of climate change: 'We can't plant our way out of climate change.'

A potentially deadly disease affecting olive trees in Europe could take a huge economic toll in the next five decades, researchers have said.

Surviving trees growing near to an active volcano face an uncertain future for several years after an eruption, a study suggests.

Disease, spread by spittlebugs, capable of infecting over 300 plant species

Enigmatic marsupial has previously been thought to absorb almost all its moisture from eating leaves

Gisele Bündchen helped earn Brazil 50,000 new trees and got the planting started by planting the first tree at the Green Nation Fest in Rio de Janeiro.

The only downside, of course, is that your self-lit holiday centerpiece actually would be a Frankenstein tree.

Maybe you've heard of the Dinosaur Tree? We first noted it back here. The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) was previously only known from fossil records dating back 90 millions years, give or take a day. It was considered to have gone extinct about two

It's an all-natural TreeHugger-approved carbon capture and storage plan.

We still have to reduce our carbon emissions.

Having a view of green space or access to a garden or park is linked to lower frequency and strength of cravings, study finds.