Trees

This winter’s snow drought may leave a mark that lasts for centuries. Justin DeRose, a dendrochronologist and assistant professor of silviculture and applied forest ecology at Utah State University, says trees across the West are already recording the story of climate in their rings — wet years, dry years, fire years, and sometimes years so harsh they leave almost no growth at all. And as drought years begin stacking up closer and closer together, those forests may be telling us something important about how fast the West is changing.

National Geographic says that tree canopy ecologist Nalini Nadkarni "has spent four decades dangling among the branches to study how forests inform our daily lives.”

Snowpack is often described as the West's largest natural reservoir — and the way forests are managed can affect how much of that snow becomes part of the water supply, according to new research.

We revisit our conversation from October 2025 with Gary Ferguson, talking about his book "The Twilight Forest."

Each snowflake individually seems insignificant, but together, relentless by the millions, snow crystals pile up. They cover the ground, flock the trees, and settle into the gaps of my jacket. Their strength is in their numbers and their ability to bond with each other.

Evergreens are still using moisture during the wintertime. If the winter is extremely dry, consequences may show up in the spring.

Africa baobabs are distinctive, long-lived trees with essential ecosystem roles. However, their populations are in decline due to increasing herbivore populations.

Consider the leaf, these lovely little solar collectors! How can any device imagined by the human brain collect light energy from the sun and convert it to food and oxygen while sequestering carbon?

Logan residents mourn as crews chop down 17 ash trees on Canyon Road to prepare for a waterline project.

The Talking Trees project displayed phone numbers on trees around the Logan campus, offering students the unique experience of conversing with nature.