Tasty options as researchers tap a new forestry product
Scientists from the University of Washington are testing the viability of making maple syrup in the Pacific Northwest. Long associated with Canada or Vermont, this sweet forest product that has graced many a breakfast table may be part of this region’s future.
Washington maple syrup is made from the watery-looking sap of bigleaf maple trees, one of the most abundant native hardwood trees in the Pacific Northwest. Given the right winter weather conditions, bigleaf maples — even here in Western Washington — can be utilized for their sap.
Researchers with the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences are proving this concept in a pilot project at the university’s Pack Forest near Eatonville, Washington. As part of a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ACER program, they are producing syrup and measuring factors that might affect bigleaf maple and their sap. This winter, the project expanded to six additional sites across Western Washington, where private landowners were given seed grants to begin collecting sap on their properties.
“This is an exciting project,” said Indroneil Ganguly, project leader and associate professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. “We are on the cusp of a really, really big maple syrup industry in the Pacific Northwest.”
Winter 2019 was the first time that maple sap was collected at Pack Forest. The most productive time of year for sap collection is from about late-November to mid-February, when temperatures dip below freezing. Freezing conditions followed by a warm spell build pressure in the tree trunk. When the bark is drilled through and the tree is “tapped” — seen in this video with black plastic plugs that connect to delivery lines — the pressure forces maple sap out of the tree and down the tubes.
Warming temperatures tripled Arctic lightning strikes over the past decade
Lightning strikes in the Arctic tripled from 2010 to 2020, a finding University of Washington researchers attribute to rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change. The results, researchers say, suggest Arctic residents in northern Russia, Canada, Europe and Alaska need to prepare for the danger of more frequent lightning strikes.
The study, published March 22 in Geophysical Research Letters, used data from the UW-based World Wide Lightning Location Network to map lightning strikes across the globe from 2010 to 2020. WWLLN sensors detect the short burst of radio waves emitted during a lightning strike.
The new study found the number of lightning strikes above 65 degrees north latitude during the summer months tripled from 2010 to 2020 as compared to the total number of lightning strikes over the entire globe during the same period.
“With long periods of ice-free ocean and increasing shipping in the Arctic, you’re going to have the same problem you have at lower latitudes — when there’s a lot of people and they don’t know about the lightning threat and it becomes a problem,” said lead author Robert Holzworth, a UW professor emeritus of Earth and space sciences.
Holzworth and his colleagues analyzed the frequency of Arctic lightning strikes occurring during the summer months of June, July and August from 2010 to 2020. They found the percentage of lightning strikes occurring in the Arctic tripled from 0.2% of global lightning strikes in 2010 to 0.6% in 2020. The actual number of lightning strikes above 65 degrees north increased from about 18,000 in 2010 to over 150,000 in 2020.
UW Environment’s Joshua Lawler named fellow of Ecological Society of America
Joshua Lawler, a University of Washington professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, has been named a 2021 fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Fellows are elected for life, and the honor recognizes scientists who advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, nonprofits and the broader society.
Lawler’s research centers on how climate change can drive shifts in plant and animal distributions, and the impacts those shifts have at both the species and ecosystem level. He also studies how climate change affects people, and the ways in which human health, climate and the environment are connected.
In addition to his research and teaching, Lawler leads the Nature and Health initiative, a member organization of UW EarthLab. The initiative seeks to understand the benefits of nature contact to human health and well-being, and translate that understanding into programs, practices and policies that benefit all people.
“Coming from the largest professional scientific organization in the ecological sciences, this is a particularly meaningful recognition from his scientific peers of Josh’s leadership,” said Dan Brown, professor and director of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. “His work and that of his students and partners has made a big impact on advancing our understanding of climate change impacts on biodiversity, and his leadership of the Nature and Health network at UW serves as an important bridge between science and society.”
According to the Ecological Society of America’s March 25 announcement, the organization elected Lawler for “broadening understanding of the effects of landscape and climate change on biological diversity; for educating students and serving society in ways that have increased recognition of ecological science and the connection between nature and human health; and for mentoring the next generation of ecologists.”
Thicker-leaved tropical plants may flourish under climate change, which could be good news for climate
How plants will fare as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is a tricky problem and, researchers say, especially vexing in the tropics. Some aspects of plants’ survival may get easier, some parts will get harder, and there will be species winners and losers. The resulting shifts in vegetation will help determine the future direction of climate change.
To explore the question, a study led by the University of Washington looked at how tropical forests, which absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, might adjust as CO2 continues to climb. Their results show that multiple changes occurring in plants’ leaves and competition between species could preserve these ecosystems’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The resulting paper was published Jan. 16 in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles.
“Our findings suggest that plants with some types of responses, like making their leaves thicker, will ultimately grow better in tropical forests than their competitors,” said senior author Abigail Swann, a UW associate professor of atmospheric sciences and of biology. “If these better-growing plants become more common in the forest, the total rates of water and carbon exchange could stay closer to what they are now.”
The new work expands the scope of this question to include competition between plant species, and the ratio of carbon and nitrogen in their leaves. Higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes it a bit easier for plants to photosynthesize. But if nitrogen can’t keep up, the plant becomes less efficient at producing energy.
Diversity, equity and inclusion at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) has been hard at work ensuring that it is an equitable, supportive space for the entire community, both as a member of the SEFS community and physically in the hallways, field sites and labs once classrooms open back up for in-person learning. Armed with a diversity statement voted on and approved by faculty, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee focused their efforts on drafting a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Plan to carry out the diversity statement with actionable steps. The plan contains five pillars encompassing all facets of the School’s mission, from leadership to recruitment to scholarship.
One of the pillars of the DEI plan focuses on diversifying the SEFS student body and ensuring that all students feel welcome and like they belong. Over the summer, a faculty task force met and brought recommendations on how to revamp the graduate admissions process to provide a more holistic evaluation of candidates, starting with the dropping the GRE from reviews of candidates and adding a DEI question in the application. The graduate student recruitment strategy is also shifting to provide clearer information to potential applicants and advertise grad programs via affinity group email lists and through strengthened connections to organizations such as UW’s GO-MAP. SEFS is currently refining procedural details on their website for the admission process and revising admission prompts and the letters of recommendation requirement.
Work is also being done to create a safe space for current students in SEFS. The DEI Committee is gathering DEI resources such as lab guidance, grant opportunities and events, with the goal of making them available to SEFS faculty and students. The Committee has also submitted budget requests to fund recruiting efforts at conferences that target underrepresented groups. A student-led initiative to create a student lounge is being implemented.
“In the open meetings, I’ve been really proud to see graduate and undergraduate students showing up and willing to ask the hard questions. Students have been ready to push the School to think critically about how we can be more diverse and make this space more inclusive for everyone. I think it really underlines how important these open meetings are, and how important it is to create space for these topics to be discussed. We are a long ways away from feeling like our school is a truly equitable place for everybody. We’re on the right road, but we’re still a ways away from our destination,” says graduate student and DEI Committee member Courtney Bobsin.
Reimagining the recruitment strategy isn’t just limited to students. In an effort to also diversify faculty and staff, the plan includes ideas about how to recruit and retain faculty and staff from underrepresented backgrounds. This includes but is not limited to inviting seminar speakers from underrepresented backgrounds and a new faculty-adopted faculty hiring process designed with DEI in mind. This also includes racial and gender bias trainings and including DEI language in hiring and interview documents. Faculty evaluation will include a promotion, merit and tenure process with a specific timeline, reviewed by the committee for biases present in the process. The DEI Committee and faculty committees are in talks about how to make teaching more inclusive, allowing educators to learn, share successes and share ideas for representation and inclusion in the classroom.
While conversations about how to diversify the SEFS community are happening, the DEI Committee is also working to make the physical spaces the SEFS community occupies more welcoming, safe and supportive. This includes a goal of providing gender-neutral facilities in all SEFS affiliated buildings on campus and in field stations and improving physical accessibility of SEFS buildings. A lactation room will be available in SEFS when buildings reopen. SEFS events now include a land acknowledgement.
“SEFS leadership, faculty, staff and students are focused more than ever on creating an inclusive community that better reflects the diversity of people in Washington and beyond. This is a matter of justice and it’s an ethical imperative. It’s also the smart thing for SEFS to do, because we know that greater inclusivity and diversity improves our ability to identify effective solutions to the real environmental problems we need to solve,” said Associate Professor and DEI Committee Co-Chair Sarah Converse.
SEFS is also involved in a National Science Foundation-funded program, Unlearning Racism in Geosciences, or URGE. Other units within the College of the Environment are also participating, allowing for the opportunity to speak to people from various disciplines and backgrounds about ideas for actionable change. Members of the SEFS URGE pod attend national seminars, meet with smaller groups and submit action items with the group.
“As a person of color attending my first SEFS class as a freshman, it was definitely a culture shock. I was one of four people of color in a class of 40, and that needs to change. Hopefully by the time I graduate there are more people of color in the SEFS introductory classes,” says undergraduate DEI Committee member Essac Mazengia.
Through eliciting feedback from members of the SEFS community in the DEI statement and plan, a sense of shared contribution ensures that they make a plan that is reflective of the community. “It has really been incredibly valuable to have so much input from the SEFS community as we developed the DEI plan,” said Assistant Professor and DEI Committee Co-Chair Brian Harvey. “As a Committee, we’ve worked really hard to incorporate input we received in written form, or through discussion in working groups at our open meetings. This plan is for all of SEFS, and gives us a tangible roadmap of action to achieve our shared vision.” In strengthening connections with tribes, training and providing resources and broadening recruitment for students and faculty, SEFS hopes to create a community that is reflective of the populations they serve.
As for words of advice for anyone who wants to make a difference in this space?
“Within the DEI Committee, there are always bigger and smaller tasks to take on. There’s always tasks to meet someone’s time or energy availability, so don’t feel like you can’t contribute if you only have a little bit of time available. It is completely up to you how much you contribute,” says Bobsin.
“Pace yourself, especially if you are an undergrad,” says Mazengia. “You’ll want to jump in, but change doesn’t happen overnight so don’t be discouraged by how slow it goes. Be energized by change. Small moments will power you through, as will finding a smaller, like-minded community within the giant UW community. Don’t be afraid to voice your ideas during DEI Committee meetings because your voice has more power in a smaller environment. It may be intimidating to speak up as an undergrad but undergrad voices aren’t often heard so it brings a welcome new perspective. You can only improve the chances of change happening if you speak up.”
An oasis for scholars: the Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center
Sailing into Friday Harbor, you can’t miss the set of long, low-slung buildings along the water’s northern edge. They are home to the famed Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL), a research outpost housed within the larger University of Washington College of the Environment. The labs have operated over one hundred years, first gaining notoriety for their impact in evolutionary and neuroscience. Over the decades, the labs have added marine ecology, seawater chemistry, biomechanics and all flavors of oceanography to their research repertoire. Known the world over, it’s a haven for ocean scientists to conduct research.
Yet it’s not just a haven for marine scientists. Tucked under the red-barked madrona trees and willowy fir trees on the campus’ west side sits a cluster of small cabins oriented behind what seems like a larger cabin. These are the visible manifestations of the Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center, a shelter and workplace perched above the saltwater for scholars of all stripes. It’s what happens behind these walls, and indeed throughout FHL’s campus, that is truly remarkable. Over the years countless visitors have come and gone, then come again, to unlock their creativity and tap into something that can be difficult to access elsewhere.
The Center’s visionaries were Arthur and Helen Whiteley, long-time researchers at FHL and equally importantly stalwart members of the broader community. In the 1990s, Arthur hatched an idea for a center to honor his late-wife’s legacy. The vision centered around creating a place where scholars of all kinds — not just the marine-focused scientists that typically visit FHL — could gather to write, study, think and create in a place of beauty and quiet. It would be a destination where people could retreat alone with their thoughts, or gather to advance new and exciting ideas together. A critical distinction between the Center and Laboratories was that it should not be a place to collect new data, take care of administrative tasks or become an extension of the Lab’s day-to-day operations. This place was to be special, and in 2000 Arthur’s vision became a reality when the Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center campus opened.
The Center now has a two-decade track record of inspiring creativity in scholarship. While each individual travels to the Center for their own purposes, they share some common experiences that are core to the Center’s mission and charm.
A Feeling of Being Unencumbered
The fast-paced world we all live in often detracts from living in the moment and being fully present. The Whiteley Center serves as a refuge, allowing scholars to step away from the world’s hustle and bustle and focus on what matters.
LeiLani Nishime, a professor at the UW, often visits as part of a larger cohort of scholars. “Everyone who is part of the group has not only academic responsibilities, but personal and social responsibilities. This is a time where people can step away and focus on something different.”
Chris Teuton is also a professor at the UW and spends his time diving deep into the endangered Cherokee language, focusing on writing a new book. The Center gives him “the freedom to devote the time I need to get the book done.”
Artists and writers frequent the Center, too. Penelope Moffet, a poet based in Los Angeles, has visited the Center twice. “There’s a feeling of time being wide open; there is rarely anything scheduled,” she says. And Veronique Robigou, an artist and geologist from Seattle, remarks that “the pressures of the outside world are left at the door. At the Whiteley Center, you breathe your work within your life and vice versa, and render both experiences more intense, pleasurable and often more productive.”
Surrounded by Natural Beauty
It is no secret that the San Juan Islands are a jewel of Washington state. Situated within the Salish Sea and accessible only by boat or plane, the 400-plus islands are surrounded by wildlife both on land and in the water. It is a key ingredient to the productivity so many scholars experience.
“I knew I liked the northwest, I had been a number of times, but I was still really stunned by the beauty at the Center,” says Moffet. “The discovery of the place and what it brings up for me — that is what I like. I would write, read, go for a ramble, write on my ramble, and then write again in my cottage.”
Robigou draws inspiration directly from the Center’s surroundings. “Much of my art comes from the sea,” she says. “Being surrounded by nature is important.”
Mardy Sears, a multimedia artist from Chicago also finds her muse in the sea. “I completely fell in love with a particular octopus named Enzyme,” Sears recounts. “It was a red octopus, and I was able to see it and feed it. They are so smart!” She created a painting featuring that octopus, which is now featured prominently on her website.
Serendipity and Inspiration
Part of what makes the greater FHL campus a gem is that people from all over the world and from all backgrounds come together. Most are eager to share their story, listen to yours and while the evening hours away in good company. The opportunities for chance encounters are numerous and serve as a source of inspiration to the work of the scholars at the Center.
“The conversations with people doing scientific research were really interesting and contributed to the poems I was writing,” says Moffet. For instance, when she learned from a graduate student that a gray whale has really bad breath, that detail was added to a new poem called “Thumbprint”. “No other retreat I’ve been to has offered access to scientists doing research.”
“You don’t know who will be in the desk nearby or around campus,” says Bruce Nelson, a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at UW. “The randomness of who you run into and what you might talk about often feed into what I am working on. The randomness does not distract, but it adds to my productivity. All this serendipitous stuff happens, and it’s just fabulous.”
A trip to the dining hall often holds the biggest surprises for new conversations and connections. “I love the interactions with folks in the dining hall, love the chance encounters,” says Robigou. “You meet all these other researchers, often from other countries, all in this little microcosm. Even though it’s this tiny spot, all these people gather in a way that you can’t elsewhere.”
But the dining hall and resident researchers aren’t the only sources of inspiration. “I learn from elders through our conversations,” Teuton says. “I really just listen and let it flow. I love how the Center gives scholars the space to do their work.”
Nishime adds, “Being at the Center feels like something magical, like a fairy story or something. The impact lasts so much longer than I expect.”
It All Adds Up
Over the years, the Whiteley Center has seen hundreds of scholars reap the benefits of its intended purpose. Nelson, who also serves on the Center’s Administrative Committee, reflects on its accomplishments. “I’ve looked back at why this Center exists, why Arthur did this. The sense of interdisciplinary interaction, being more relaxed and having better thinking in a relaxed place, the randomness of interaction…this is exactly what he envisioned. I think it’s amazing that FHL and the Center brought this vision to life.”
The deeper story of each of these scholars is published on the Friday Harbor Laboratories website as part of a broader celebration of the Whiteley Center’s 20th Anniversary –to read them, or learn more about how to become a Scholar yourself, visit the Center’s webpage.
Plant parenthood has boomed since the onset of the pandemic, with many people frequenting local plant stores to find companionship during a time of social isolation or even trying their hand at growing produce. New and novice gardeners find themselves doting and caring for these plants only for them to stagnate or even (gasp) die. How can we prevent untimely death in our plants and encourage growth?
The roots of many plant woes—quite literally—stems from the soil that houses your plant. Luckily, UW Environment houses many soil experts, including plant experts from the UW Botanic Gardens, to help you grow the most luscious, healthy and sustainable garden possible.
Soil health is one of the biggest keys to growing healthy plants. But in order to nurture healthy soils, we first need to understand what soil is. Many people think of soil as an annoyance to sweep away when dirt enters their homes, when in actuality it is a complex mix of once-living, living and nonliving things—all critical components of healthy, fertile soil.
“Minerals are the least mysterious part of soils—these are the nonliving things. Organic matter is the once-living thing, and this is what makes healthy soil dark brown to black in color. Lastly, the living things aren’t visible and are either underground, scurrying away from you or are microbial and therefore too small to see,” says Earth and Space Sciences Professor David Montgomery. “The importance of the microbes are the least recognized, but they consume organic matter and metabolize it, which in turn benefits the plants. These three elements make for a strong and active symbioses between plant and soil.”
Think of your plants and garden as a living ecosystem. For soil to be able to function in this ecosystem, it needs to be healthy and of good quality. Soil health allows for it to self-regulate, while soil quality is its ability to perform its role within the ecosystem. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Assistant Professor Brittany Johnson stresses, “soil is wildly important in nearly every process within an ecosystem so maintaining both health and quality is essential. Soil governs water supply and quality, provides 15 out of the 18 elements needed for plant growth and much more. A good soil can do all of these things and more.”
Now that we have a better understanding of what soil is and the importance of healthy soils, let’s dig into ways to build and maintain healthy soils.
Outdoor plants
Before you fill your garden immediately, UW Botanic Gardens’ Raymond Larson advises patience and suggests observing the garden for a year before making huge changes. Observe how plants react at different times of day and through the seasons: where is the sun at different times of the year? How much light is each area getting? Which one of your neighbors’ plants are thriving and which ones are hanging on for dear life? Larson also suggests “window shopping” when going on walks in the neighborhood, on campus, and at the Arboretum or Center for Urban Horticulture to see which plants are appealing to you and what works best for the region you’re in.
Once you have a list of plants in mind, test the soil. Dig a hole in the ground and fill it with a bucket of water to see how quickly it drains—if the water absorbs within an hour then move on to planting your plant. Larson and Montgomery both advise working with the soil that is already there, no need to till the soil. In fact, Montgomery advises to only minimally disturb the soil—if at all. After you confirm that the soil is well-draining, dig a hole that uses as much native soil as possible and make sure the hole is big enough to leave space for roots to grow. Drainage is key here, we don’t want roots to suffocate or suffer from root rot. More specifically, Johnson recommends maintaining about 50 percent of the volume as pore space for air and water and for relatively high organic matter levels—5 percent or higher. Knowing how well your soil drains will dictate how much water to give your plants, as well as the frequency of watering. The Miller Library at UW Botanic Gardens provides a lot of great online resources, including a gardener answer knowledge base with more information on soil and to see what kind of soil you have.
After your plants are in their permanent homes, mulch the soil around your plants to keep weeds at bay (bonus: mulch also is great at holding in water). Be generous with your mulch: Larson advises at least one inch of mulch to inhibit weed growth.
Plants attacked by common pests can also be protected by natural methods, according to Johnson. Lure in birds and beneficial bugs like lady beetles—also known as lady bugs—to help do your work for you through strategic planting. Lots of plants attract beneficial insects (like mint) or repel insects (like onions), so by planting them alongside more vulnerable plants you can keep harmful pests under control. Alternatively, you can plant something known to attract aphids (like nasturtium) away from your other plants and just treat the one plant. Treatment is a simple mixture of one tablespoon of Castile soap in one quart of water, or add a few drops of essential oils like peppermint for an even more effective mix. This will only affect soft-bodied insects and will not harm any birds, bees or hard-bodied insects like lady beetles.
The last piece of the outdoor garden puzzle is fertilizing your soil. Store-bought chemical fertilizers are labelled with three numbers representing the ratio of nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium (N-P-K). Of course, starting with soil that has plenty of organic matter and lots of space for roots, air and water will provide a great base for your plants. At home, we can make our own fertilizers using lawn clippings, dropped leaves and flowers, veggie scraps and egg shells, while avoiding any fats. Let the compost sit, turn it over often and reap the benefits of homemade compost while cutting down on food waste—a win-win. Montgomery credits his wife Anne Bikle in what he calls the “organic matter crusade” turning unhealthy soil to healthy soil through using compost and mulch to both suppress weeds and feed soil life. In one planting bed with bad weed problems she laid down clean cardboard boxes to control weed growth and added an additional 6 inches of mulch on top of that. Then she dug a hole through the cardboard and mulch to allow for desired plants to get established. An added benefit to this method is that the soil’s organic matter will increase over time, and pull carbon from the sky into the soil.
Indoor plants
Many of the same concepts for outdoor plants can be brought indoors for houseplants, but on a much smaller scale. The same compost can be used for outdoor and indoor plants, and the same treatment can be used to treat pests.
When bringing plants home from nurseries, they have likely been in the nursery pots for a long time with roots that are compressed and kinked, and the plants are probably on a watering schedule that is more frequent. It is important to switch out the pot to allow for the roots to spread out and breathe. Drainage is the name of the game for houseplants, so look for soil mixes that are well draining. When in doubt, look for a soil mix that promotes air and water flow—made of bark, moss, compost, sand and vermiculite. Try to avoid wet, heavy bags as they could be harboring mold or harmful material and are denser which won’t allow for water, air and roots to move freely. Cacti and other succulents will require a sandy soil that drains well, while orchids prefer almost no mineral matter at all and will be happy with bark and sphagnum moss, according to Johnson. Whatever plant you grow, a light, fluffy mix with lots of organic matter to act as slow-release fertilizer for your plants will work. When plants shed their old leaves, they are trying to feed their roots and the microbes within soil convert the dead leaves into fuel the plant can take up.
When it comes time to move your plants into a bigger pot, don’t throw away that soil! “Soil doesn’t go bad, it just gets sad,” says Johnson. “As long as you are not observing any evidence of harmful molds or other diseases, there is no reason why you cannot reuse the soil.”
Incorporate some compost into the old soil, mix it around and the soil is ready for life with another plant.
If your first plant (or 5, or 10) don’t make it, don’t take it personally. Through this process of trial and error, we can all eventually learn what each plant likes and dislikes and what it takes to build a healthy foundation for plants to thrive.