My Library

Is there a point when a tree doesn’t hold enough carbon to make up for the emissions released to care for the tree? Scientists in this study want to know which trees grow the longest and store carbon the longest. The goal is inform managers of the best trees to plant in urban environments.

Put your feet up in the dugout and flip through Batter Up, the final edition in the Time Warp Series. In Batter Up, learn about how engineers designed a test to determine baseball bat breakage rates for different types of wood.

Is the climate changing over time? You may have heard different opinions about climate change. In the past few years, most scientists have agreed on at least one thing about climate change. They have agreed that measured and recorded changes in Earth’s climate over the past 100 or more years point to a warming of Earth’s surface greater than they would have expected from normal cycles. In this edition of Natural Inquirer, you will learn about the effect that climate change may have on animals, p

Ecosystem services are the benefits that nature provides through natural processes. For example, plants provide clean air, natural fire helps cycle nutrients, and bats act as insect control. Ecosystem services are valued by people, even if people do not always think about where these services. Scientists have studied ecosystems for a long time. The concept of ecosystem services, however, is relatively new. The identification of ecosystem services enables scientists to show people that ecosystems

What will happen to trees if climate change continues? The scientists in this study conducted an experiment to see how much carbon is stored in a tree’s roots versus its leaves. This research is a starting point for scientists as they discuss this very important topic.

The research you will read about in this Natural Inquirer was conducted by scientists working at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, or IPIF. Located in Hilo, HI, scientists at IPIF study a range of environmental topics in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands.

The Natural Inquirer Scientist & Engineer Card Series highlights 250+ USDA Forest Service scientists and engineers. Share these with students, and help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers!

Welcome to the Natural IQ- a sister publication of Natural Inquirer. Natural IQ is a regional publication. This edition focuses on climate change research in the Southern United States.

This edition is full of new information on the natural environment that we call the Rocky Mountains. In this Natural Inquirer, you will learn how father owls feed their young, the dangers that songbirds sometimes face, and how beetles stay warm during the winter. Find out how avalanches are formed, whether trout always pick the same place to swim in a stream, and how a computer can be used to predict soil erosion!

Scientists can learn a lot from local people who interact with the environment on a daily basis. This monograph compares scientific research with local mushroom hunters' knowledge of morel mushrooms.

There are many different types of plant communities in the United States. What will happen if the climate continues to change? The scientists in this research used math and computer models to find out how the plant communities might change. The results are predictions that can inform future science.

Scientists explore if and how climate and weather are connected to very large wildland fires to help predict and prepare for future events.

This monograph examines research done in the Coweeta Experimental Forest. In 1934, research began in this forest that looked at how forests affect the streams that flow through them. In this study, scientists wanted to find out how the flow of water might change in areas near mountain streams if eastern hemlock trees are killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid.