For years, scientists have classified trees with two distinctions: hardwood and softwood. Hardwood comes from deciduous trees like oak, maple, and cherry trees. Softwoods come from more traditionally wintery trees – also known as coniferous species like pine, spruce, and fir.

Scientists have discovered a new category of trees that come with characteristics of both softwood and hardwood trees—aptly called midwood. Recently, scientists analyzed tulip trees and discovered the shared qualities of both hardwood and softwood, creating a unique combination that makes it easier for the tree to capture and store carbon. 

Tulip trees also capture more carbon than other trees because of their fast growth rate, reaching impressive heights of over 100 feet tall. This discovery showcases just how unique tulip trees really are and the impact they bring to the climate fight.

Wimbledon is bringing new meaning to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The world’s most renowned tennis tournament set its sights on helping nature this month, giving back to our planet in a rather unique way. 

Every year, Wimbledon goes through over 50,000 tennis balls throughout the course of the tournament. While many of these balls are sold to spectators, others are donated to conservation groups to provide homes for field mice. Conservationists have found that used tennis balls make great homes for the little creatures. 

By creating a small hole and mounting it on a short pole, the former tennis ball becomes a haven for mice that protects them from predators and keeps them dry. Because field habitats are rapidly disappearing, these tennis balls are making a crucial contribution to biodiversity, protecting mice and ecosystems alike. 

The Penobscot tribe in Maine was the recipient of the largest return of unrestricted land in American history. This return will allow the Indigenous tribe to maintain the land according to cultural practices while fostering conservation. 

It’s no secret that many Indigenous people are at the forefront of the climate fight. Indigenous-maintained land around the world tends to be more biodiverse than other land thanks to their careful stewardship—guided by deep knowledge and understanding of the land. Many experts hope this transfer of land could be the starting point of land returns in the United States, allowing conservation and Indigenous sovereignty to work together to protect and restore the land.

Off the coast of Solomon’s Island, what was once thought to be a giant shipwreck turned out to be the world’s largest coral colony in the Pacific Ocean. The entirety of the colony measures out to be 112 by 105 feet, making it larger than Earth’s biggest animal–the blue whale. In fact, this colony is so large that it can even be seen from space, but somehow remained unviewed all these years. 

The researchers who discovered the coral highlight its good health but stress the numerous threats facing coral reefs all over the world. Many hope this discovery will spark additional marine protections off Solomon’s Island to protect these critical ecosystems.  

Denmark is known for only having 15% of its land covered by forests. Now, Danish lawmakers are working to increase that number through a large-scale reforestation initiative to turn farmlands into forests and wetlands. 

Over the next two decades, a billion trees will be planted across 10% of the country’s farmland to convert the land into natural habitats and ecosystems. From forests to wetlands, these ecosystems will promote biodiversity. In fact, the Danish government has called this “the biggest change to the Danish landscape in over 100 years.”