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Finding benefits of $1.50–$3.00 for every dollar invested in trees

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This is real estate talk. In southern California, they're big on the benefits of trees. There are the environmental benefits of course - protection of soil from erosion, providing habitat for birds, contributing oxygen to the atmosphere... and it's a much longer list than this. But in addition they provide a whole lot of services that people value. For example, trees in your neighbourhood reduce energy use, reduce water run-off to sewage systems and improve air and water quality (also a much longer list). What really appeals to those with a stake in real estate, is the way trees add to the value of a house that is up for sale. One expert calculates that investing in trees on a residential property can produce a 110% return on investment. CHECK OUT THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://kfiam640.iheart.com/featured/home-with-dean-sharp/content/2019-11-10-the-benefit-of-having-trees/

Finding the more adaptable tree

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Trees are living organisms. And like all living organisms, trees are totally dependent on their environment for a successful life. They need nutrient rich soils. They need sunlight for energy, carbon dioxide from the air to make new tissue for growth and oxygen at night to generate the energy for life processes. Trees need rain for the water to keep their leaves from wilting. And they depend on a wide variety of other organisms, from fungi to assist with absorbing minerals to squirrels that carry their seeds far and wide. So it stands to reason that if the environment is getting less reliable, the trees that will survive into the future are the ones that can adapt to changing conditions. This is the premise the drives the research of Katharina Braeutigam, a researcher who studies the epigenetics of trees at the University of Toronto. What about the expression of a tree's genes can make it more adaptable? Finding out may give trees a better chance to go on doing the jo...

What can trees teach us about teamwork?

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“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them—whoever knows how to listen to them—can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts; they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” — Hermann Hesse, "Wandering" Not only that but trees are more powerful in groups. Some even see a kind of teamwork among groups of trees. Evolution has equipped some of them with improved survival when they cooperate with each other. An example is Redwoods - their shallow root systems are stronger when they are intertwined with the roots of their neighbours. As a result of this firm foundation, Redwoods can become some of the tallest trees in the world. FOR THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/11/18/the-teamwork-of-trees/#335590c860f0 [Photo by Allie Caulfield, CCL]  

How do countries compare on a trees-per-person basis?

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 Published by the Save the Earth Cooperative on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheEarthCoop/ VISIT THEIR WEBSITE ==> https://savetheearth.coop/

Plant pathologists needed!

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First it was the Chestnut blight, then Dutch Elm disease, followed by the Emerald Ash Borer! Now a new enemy of trees is on the horizon. The American Beech, Fagus grandifolia , one of the most impressive trees in eastern forests, is now under attack.   They're working on it. Right now research is still at the stage of identifying the pathogen that causes shrivelled beech leaves mottled with black stripes. A possible cause has been tentatively indicted, a leaf-infesting nematode. But bacterial or fungal pathogens may also be involved. FOR THE WHOLE STORY ==>   https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6467/786 [ Photo by Marqqq, CC License ]  

Getting on board the tree planting bandwagon

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  Here are a couple of very encouraging news stories: 1. YouTube stars raise over $6m to plant trees around the world : According to The Guardian a group of over 600 popular contributors to YouTube have been raising money to plant trees. Twenty million trees! This is all part of a campaign called the #TeamTrees project. The project aims to raise up to twenty million dollars and plant twenty million trees. 2. Elon Musk donates $1 million to plant trees : And one of the big contributors to that 'twenty million tree' project will be electric car developer, Elon Musk. Of course Musk also contributes a lot to greenhouse gases too, with his Space-X, space exploration program. Perhaps his donation will help in part to compensate for the Space-X activities. READ THE WHOLE STORIES ==> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/oct/29/youtube-stars-fundraise-plant-trees-around-the-world and https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20939016/elon-musk-mrbeast-tree-don...

Happy National Forest Week from our those hard working people at L.E.A.F.

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  FIND OUT ABOUT L.E.A.F at ==> https://www.yourleaf.org/