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Editor's Picks

Pages from Gert's book
It was a great pleasure for me to be able to write about my...
Gert Fortgens | Feb 15, 2024
Quercus marlipoensis acorns
A new study has analyzed the germination characteristics of...
Website Editor | Feb 15, 2024
Gall on Quercus grahamii
A new species of oak gall wasp has been named in honor of...
Website Editor | Feb 14, 2024

Plant Focus

A small but mature Alabama sandstone oak producing acorns © Patrick Thompson
A Critically Endangered dwarf oak 

Climate Change and Conservation

Tomorrow, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP21 opens in Paris.  A couple of days ago, I came across an essay published by Jonathan Franzen, author of Freedom, that I found quite interesting.  The essay "Carbon Capture: Has climate change made it harder for people to care about conservation?"was published a few months ago in The New Yorker.  It can be found online here

Franzen refers to Woody Allen’s movie Annie Hall, when young Alvy Singer stopped doing his homework because "the universe is expanding." Likewise, our focus on climate change prevents shorter-term conservation intitiatives, writes Franzen. This essay stirred a lot of controversy.