Phantom Forests

Disturbing news declares the failure of carbon-offset forests across the planet. Your own conscience may not be so clear after reading this article from the BBC.

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The Elm

Summer Branch Drop Edinburgh has a wonderful variety of Elm tree species, many of which have never been definitively identified. Wych Elm, Huntingdon Elm, English Elm, Dutch Elm and Wheatley Elm are among those that are most commonly seen. Unfortunately, this year, there has been a propensity for the phenomenon known as ‘summer branch drop’ […]

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Edinburgh is still at risk from Dutch Elm Disease

It is a sad fact that Dutch Elm disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) introduced to the UK in the 1960s, is still causing the removal of around 1,000 Elms in Edinburgh each year.  Despite decades of research, there is still no known effective way of preventing the movement of the Elm Bark Beetles (Scolytus scolytus). Edinburgh has lost around […]

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The Mysterious Kingdom of Fungi

Most western countries are fungi phobic – we have a deep fear of mushrooms, most likely because they were associated with witches, poisoning.  Many cultures (especially in eastern Europe) still possess the knowledge (and lack the fear) of fungi – what to pick and what to leave well alone.  Fungi are everywhere and the world would […]

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British Standard for Bat Surveying in Trees

The upcoming British Standard for ‘Surveying for bats in trees and woodland’ has now been closed for comment; hopefully we will see the completed document later this year. Bats are essential to our ecosystems, but they are threatened by habitat loss due to the renovation or demolition of old buildings, and the loss of old […]

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