Forests

Saltwater is seeping into Maryland’s coastal forests. This team is helping landowners prepare. (link is external)

Researchers are building an online tool to help woodlot owners and farmers navigate options for preserving their land and livelihoods.

Community-led health and livelihood programs helped protect rainforests during the pandemic (link is external)

As COVID-19 disrupted rural economies, communities living near protected rainforests faced rising uncertainty about jobs, health and basic needs.

Prescribed fires can cut smoke pollution for years, miles beyond burn areas

A Stanford-led study based on two decades of satellite data finds California could cut deadly pollution from wildfire smoke by 20% in active fire years by expanding use of prescribed fire in conifer forests each year.

A ‘shocking’ carbon discovery in Sweden’s forests

A new study finds old-growth forests in Sweden store far more carbon than the industrial tree plantations that are rapidly replacing them, with soil accounting for most of the difference. Protecting undisturbed areas could do more to mitigate climate change than previously thought.

What’s stalling markets designed to encourage carbon credits for reforestation? (link is external)

A Stanford report and preprint study reveals that uncertainty about risk and liability is stopping reforestation carbon credits from scaling up. Its findings point to possible solutions, such as clear risk allocation frameworks, expanded insurance options, and enhanced transparency.

How smarter incentives could help save forests—and support farmers (link is external)

Stanford researchers are developing new ways to curb deforestation while boosting rural incomes. Their work pairs economic theory with on-the-ground trials to advance practical climate solutions.

How crops and forests are responding to changing rainfall patterns

Rainy days are becoming less frequent but more intense across much of the planet because of climate change. Even in years with similar rainfall totals, plants fare differently when rain falls in fewer, bigger bursts, a new study shows.

Scientists tap into the fungal network (link is external)

Kabir Peay wants to leverage the relationship between plants and the beneficial fungi that colonize their roots to help ecosystems weather climate change.

From the local to the global, landscape and forest restoration pays dividends

A Stanford researcher helped the World Bank integrate landscape and ecosystem approaches into development projects in new ways, influencing nearly $1 billion in development finance and supporting global climate investments.

It takes a village: Using game theory to get farmers to fight deforestation (link is external)

A new model taps into the power of cooperation to promote sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia.