Over the next 50 years, Mid-South forests will face challenges that include population increases, the likelihood of increased drought coupled with increased demand for water and water supply stress, sea level rise along the Gulf of Mexico, and invasive native species. This week's Super Six focuses on this and other news in the forestry industry, which is served by our Primex brand of forestry tires.
The Southern Forest Futures Project (SFFP), started in 2008 as an effort to study and understand the various forces reshaping the forests across the 13 states of the South, has released a comprehensive study on expected environmental trends in the next 50 years.
In another study regarding Southern forests shared by sciencedaily.com, Duke University has studied the origins of popular plant species such as mountain laurels and rhodendrons in the Great Smoky Mountains. The study suggests that roughly half of the all the species can trace their relatives to thousands of miles away in Asia.
Another interesting story from sciencedaily.com reports that scientists at The University of Manchester have discovered a way to make trees grow bigger and faster, which could increase supplies of renewable resources and help trees cope with the effects of climate change.
One way to increase our forestry resources, of course, is to plant trees . . . and lots of them! Wkrg.com shares a story on people of all ages and backgrounds from across the U.S. and Canada who came together to break the Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in one hour by small teams. Organized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI), more than 200,000 trees were planted simultaneously in 28 different communities.