New research from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences suggests that the choices we make about how we use our lands —such as for agriculture or development—has an impact on a landscape’s ability to effectively store carbon. Published in Nature Geoscience, the authors find that disturbance reintroduces carbon that is locked up on land back into the carbon cycle, often through runoff that deposits it into our rivers and wetlands.
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Scientists using a microbe that occurs naturally in eastern cottonwood trees have boosted the ability of two other plants—willow and lawn grass—to withstand the withering effects of the nasty industrial pollutant phenanthrene and take up 25 to 40 percent more of the pollutant than untreated plants. The approach could avoid the regulatory hurdles imposed on transgenic plants—plants with genes inserted from or exchanged with other plant or animal species—that have shown promise in phytoremediation, the process of using plants to remove toxins from contaminated sites, according to Sharon Doty, associate professor of environmental and forestry sciences and corresponding author on a paper about the new work in Environmental Science & Technology.
Read more at UW Today »
In partnership with Mount Rainier National Park, the UW has launched the Mount Rainier Institute at Pack Forest. The Institute successfully completed its first run of the program over the summer, immersing middle school students in multi-day activities focusing on science and STEM education. Using the national park and Pack Forest as its classroom, the Mount Rainier Institute aims to partner with schools to provide experiences that enhance curriculum, enrich science, and build community.
Read more at The Tacoma Tribune »
The College of the Environment is full of opportunities for students to try their hand at solving real world problems that come with managing natural resources. This past spring, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences students partnered with King County to develop a forest stewardship plan for the newly acquired Black Diamond Natural Area. Taking into account the property’s multiple uses, students addressed the social, economic, and environmental issues that will serve the county’s needs for the long term.
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President of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Scot Medbury, an alumnus of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, met with First Lady Michelle Obama to receive the National Medal for Museum and Library Service on behalf of his organization. Medbury, whose graduate studies at UW focused on the history of the Washington Park Arboretum, oversees the botanic garden and executes its programs with a mission to “inspire people of all ages through the conservation, display, and enjoyment of plants.”
Read more at the National Museum and Library Service »
