Trees

The strange science behind the 'rainbow' tree

This stunning, brightly coloured tree has neon stripes running along its trunk making it look as if it has been painted.
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Is there a known limit on how tall a tree can grow?

The tallest tree in the world hasn’t reached the maximum height a tree can grow... yet.
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The oldest trees in world (top 6, ranked)

The world's oldest living tree is in the National Forest White Mountains in California, USA.
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Why do trees have such shallow root systems?

A tree's feeder roots are often found in the top 20-30cm of the ground.
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Top 10: countries with increasing forest areas

China, Australia, France and Romania all have net growth when it comes to forest areas. But which nation grows the most per year?
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Why is amber so good at preserving life?

A chemist explains the science that underpins the Jurassic Park saga.
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The Royal Astronomical Society is searching for the UK's "Moon Trees"

It is thought that there are around 15 trees in the UK whose seeds were flown around the Moon during NASA's lunar mission in 1971.
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Coffee waste can supercharge the growth of new forests

Forests with a caffeine habit could recover four times sooner, ecologists say.
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Extreme annual fires reduce forests' ability to store carbon

Scientists analysed decades’ worth of data on the impact of repeated fires on ecosystems across the world.
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How tall can a Christmas tree grow?

The 'Christmas Tree' can refer to various different species of tree, but which of these is biggest?
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How have fungi shaped the world?

Our lives have always been entangled with fungi, says biologist Merlin Sheldrake, and the future of this relationship is full of possibility.
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Merlin Sheldrake reveals the complexity of the fungal world

Read the full transcript of our Science Focus Podcast interview with fungi expert Merlin Sheldrake – listen to the episode at the bottom of the page.
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Can trees and plants really talk to each other?

There’s evidence that trees communicate via a vast, underground network of fungal connections – we dive in to the murky world of mycorrhizal networks.
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Potential childhood cancer treatment found in willow trees

It comes more than a century after aspirin was discovered in the same plant, with scientists hailing ‘a goldmine of exciting new chemistry’.
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Tropical forests could switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source in the next 20 years

A study tracking 300,000 trees over 30 years finds the Earth's tropical forests are slowly losing their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
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Why have trees evolved such a variety of leaf shapes?

Asked by: Mark Buckmaster, Leicester
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Major Tim Peake plants trees grown from space-faring seeds

The saplings, which were grown from seeds which spent six months aboard the International Space Station, were planted at the home of Sir Isaac Newton.
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‘War on drugs’ is driving deforestation

Military action is pushing criminals into protected areas.
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