In Chapter 5, “The Messiah, the Plague, and Shipwrecks under the City,” author Valerie Trouet tells the tale of wooden structures crafted by Europeans millennia ago and how dendrochronology helped determine their age.

Not only can studying the growth patterns obscured within tree trunks tell us about the past, the field can also help us plan for the future.

Studies on various roadside layouts and species tend to yield different results for plants’ effectiveness at alleviating pollution.

In a virtual reality experiment, participants recovered faster from a small electric shock when they could smell natural scents than when they could smell urban odors.

Carbon dioxide and temperature need to increase in a constant ratio for plants to keep up with climate change.

Water flows between a dead-looking stump and nearby trees on an alternating schedule.

Researchers who provide that estimate believe this is the best and cheapest way to combat global warming.

Silver birch, elder, and yew win out in an experiment to see which species best capture the tiny particles from diesel pollution.

In the last year, the butterfly’s eastern group has more than doubled its hibernation area while the other population waned. Plus, researchers are moving trees to save monarch habitat.