Discoveries

Birdwatchers in the Northeast have long known that some species of finch that spend most of their lives in the boreal forest occasionally travel far beyond their normal range. Pine siskins,…

For decades it was hypothesized that blackpoll warblers, tiny black-and-white songbirds that breed in boreal forests and winter in South America, migrate south entirely offshore in a nonstop…

We hear a great deal in the news about the decline of managed honeybee colonies, but little has been reported about the crisis facing native bumblebees. According to Leif Richardson, a…

A scientific investigation into the genetics of 20 fungi that infect trees has turned up an unusual explanation for why one particular fungus is killing plantation-grown poplars. According to…

Beavers are well known for damming streams and creating ponds, forging new habitat for a wide range of wildlife. In the absence of streams, however, these ecosystem engineers often dig…

The wood of sugar maple trees is highly valued for its even grain and creamy light color, making it one of the Northeast’s most commercially important hardwood species for use in…

The American chestnut may be on the verge of a comeback. More than 125 years after Asian chestnuts arrived in the United States carrying a fungus that caused the near eradication of one of the…

We don’t typically think of forest debris as a food source for freshwater fish and other aquatic organisms, but a study by researchers at the University of Cambridge in England suggests…

For nearly 20 years, Gary Lovett has kept a journal with notes about a variety of natural events taking place in his backyard in southeastern New York, including the date that spring peepers…

Maple syrup producers no longer have to wait for spring weather to know if they are likely to have a good year. A postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University has revealed that sugar maple seed…

Detecting small mammal prey beneath a thick covering of snow is among the more challenging skills that some predators must develop to survive New England winters. Most use exceptional hearing…

The Clean Air Act, passed more than 40 years ago, continues to provide positive outcomes. The latest good news comes from a University of New Hampshire environmental scientist who reports that…

Trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere and play a key role in mitigating the effects of climate change. But a study by researchers at Dartmouth College found that from a climate…

It may be tough to believe after this past year, but it appears that winters are getting shorter and shorter. By studying the growth cycle of vegetation at daily intervals, a team of British…

Since 2010, many white pine trees in northern New England have become infected with one of several fungal diseases that have caused yellow and brown discoloration of one year old needles,…

When Maine zoned two percent of the northern part of the state as deer wintering areas in the 1970s, its goal was to provide habitat that would increase deer density to 10 animals per square…

The materials that birds use to build their nests vary widely between species, from twigs and grasses to mud and even their own saliva. Hawks typically use coarse, dry branches and twigs as…

In northern states, where deep snowpack causes deer to spend much of the winter under the dense canopy of evergreen stands, the animals’ nitrogen-rich waste may be making the soil less…

Satellites are commonly used to monitor large-scale environmental changes, and airplanes are often used to get a clearer picture of the overall health of particular forests. Now, a plant…

Most New Englanders would agree that one way to reduce our environmental impact is to reduce our use of fossil fuels. And most would also agree that switching to wood is a step in the right…