Things We Heart – October 2018

We’ve rounded up some of the best tree stuff on the web for your enjoyment. Check out this month’s highlights below:

Alternative fuel sources have been a hot topic for many years now. Wind power has been one of them, as turbine farms pop up across the United States. Imagine a turbine inspired by the palm… you might want to call it a “palm tree,” but an arborist would argue with you that it’s just a palm, much like Eric Loth, an engineer who’s part of a team building the next generation of offshore wind turbines and a contributor to this article, feels about calling wind turbines “windmills.” Read more about why palms are the inspiration behind new, offshore wind turbine design. (Don’t tell us we never taught you anything!)

Ever wonder what happens to high-value wood from trees that fall down or need to be removed? A woman in Topeka, Kansas built a business around repurposing that wood into flooring and keepsake furniture. And to think… it all started when a sycamore in her yard dropped branches on her house! Now, downed trees and limbs are a source of inspiration for her work. Read more about her successful business!

When you think of pollinators, you mostly think of bees. Well… trees have their own “pollinators” – as it turns out, birds and other animals are very effective at spreading a tree’s seeds. Unfortunately, ecologists have discovered that some trees in the tropics are failing to thrive because they’re being visited by fewer animals. One researcher, Sean MacDonald, researched a solution. “Many fruit-eating birds and mammals are social creatures that call loudly when they gather to eat. MacDonald reasoned that by playing such calls, he could attract fruit-eating animals to endangered plants, prompting them to disperse the seeds…” Read more about how researchers use birds to spread the seeds of endangered plants.