Oak forests play a vital role in our ecosystem, providing climate regulation and erosion control across North America. However, these forests face compounding threats from drought and oak wilt, and it can be challenging to tell these two issues apart.
Trees have started showing their spectacular fall colors across Minnesota. This year, the changing leaves have come early due to the stresses of ongoing drought. Drought, flooding and higher temperatures associated with climate change are all factors prompting University of Minnesota experts to think about the future of our forests.
According to new research from the University of Minnesota, buckthorn managers have long overestimated the plant, and in doing so, have given the invasive tree a significant advantage in spreading widely and pushing native species out of woodlands and forests throughout eastern North America.
