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A groundbreaking international study revealed spruce trees not only respond to a solar eclipse but actively anticipate it by synchronising their bioelectrical signals hours in advance into a cohesive, forest-wide phenomenon. Source: Timberbiz The discovery, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, shows older trees exhibit a more pronounced early response, suggesting these ancient sentinels retain decades of environmental memory and may use it to inform younger trees of impending events. This study adds to the emerging evidence that plants are active, communicative participants in their ecosystems, capable of complex, coordinated behaviours akin to those seen in animal groups. The lead authors are Professor Alessandro Chiolerio of the Italian Institute of Technology and University of the West of England, and Professor Monica Gagliano from Southern Cross University, Australia. “This study illustrates the anticipatory and synchronized responses we observed are key to understanding how forests communicate and adapt, revealing a new layer of complexity in plant behaviour,” said Professor Gagliano. “Basically, we are watching the famous ‘wood wide web’ in action. “This discovery underscores the critical importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience by preserving and transmitting invaluable eco-logical knowledge.” Using custom-built, ruggedised low-power sensors deployed across a forest in the Dolomites (Italy), the interdisciplinary team comprising experts from Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia, recorded simultaneous bioelectrical responses from multiple trees. Their analysis demonstrates that individual trees’ electrical activity became significantly more synchronised before and during the eclipse, indicating that trees function as a unified living system that coordinates its response to external events. “By applying advanced analytical methods—including complexity measures and quantum field theory, we have uncovered a deeper, previously unrecognised dynamic synchronisation not based on matter exchanges among trees,” said Professor Chiolerio. “We now see the forest not as a mere collection of individuals, but as an orchestra of phase correlated plants.” Professor Gagliano said the findings support calls for the preservation of wise old trees. “The fact that older trees respond first potentially guiding the collective response of the forest, speaks volumes about their role as memory banks of past environmental events. “This discovery underscores the critical importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience by preserving and transmitting invaluable eco-logical knowledge.” This pioneering research is showcased in a feature-length documentary, Il Codice del Bosco (The Forest Code), released in May 2025 in Italy. For a glimpse into this fascinating study, watch the official trailer: https://vimeo.com/1065299976  

During excavations in the city of Lueven, Belgium, archaeologists have found a wooden water pipe from the Roman times. It is believed to date from around the second and third centuries. Sources: Timberbiz, The Smithsonian Magazine The fact that the wood of the water pipe has been exceptionally well preserved makes it a unique finding that contributes to the knowledge of Roman presence in Leuven. The wooden water pipe is now going to a conservation studio, where the artifact will be studied. The entire water pipe will then be freeze-dried so that it can be optimally preserved and possibly displayed later. The water pipe was found near what may be a water pumping system, the pipe likely dates to between the second and third centuries C.E. Researchers discovered the pipe in the city of Leuven, which is located some 15 miles east of Brussels, during an archaeological survey conducted ahead of construction for a university residence building, according to a statement from the Leuven government. The pipe was about 13 feet underground, and it was made of several tree trunk sections, each measuring about five feet long, as the Brussels Times reports. In total, the pipe ran between roughly 65 and 100 feet long. Due to the close proximity of the Dijle river, the soil was wet and muddy, leaving the pipe in exceptionally well-preserved condition. During the first century B.C.E., Julius Caesar conquered large swaths of Europe, including parts of modern-day Belgium. These lands became part of the Roman region of Gaul. Leuven may have been a Roman “diverticulum,” a settlement along a military road that connected modern-day France and Germany, according to a statement. The pipe may have supplied that settlement with water. The ancient Romans are remembered for their complex plumbing systems. They built large, elevated aqueducts as well as subterranean channels to transport water. Earlier this year, researchers announced the discovery of a brick under-ground aqueduct in Slovakia. As Vansina says in the statement, the recently found pipe is a unique discovery. Traces of ancient wooden pipes have been found at other Roman sites but in most cases, the wooden artifacts themselves have rotted away. “The fact that we found a water pipe indicates that the settlement must have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity,” Ben Van Genechten, a project leader at the archaeology company BAAC Flanders, told the Brussels Times. Researchers plan to determine how old the timber was when it was cut via dendrochronology, the study of tree rings.

Ever wonder how many trees stand tall in North America’s vast boreal forest? A new University of Alberta study has the answer, and it could benefit climate mitigation. The tally came to 277 billion trees, including 30 billion in Alberta. Source: University of Alberta Estimated using a sophisticated machine learning algorithm, the numbers are 31% higher than a count made through an earlier attempt in a major 2015 global study. “Our research provides by far the most accurate and credible answer to the question of how many trees are in our boreal forests,” said study lead Fangliang He, a forest ecologist and Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity and Landscape Modelling in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. The work fills a crucial knowledge gap that “reduces the uncertainty in estimating and managing tree density to promote forest productivity that enhances forest carbon sink potential,” he added. “Knowing that there are 31% more trees than previously estimated suggests our boreal forests have greater capacity to mitigate climate change.” The U of A researchers improved on the results of the 2015 work by compiling a record number of 4,367 tree plots across Canada and Alaska, compared with 346 plots used in the earlier study. “This provides a large set of data with extensive geographic coverage in North America,” Mr He said. To measure trees 10 centimetres or larger in diameter (the same as in 2015), He and his team used an AI algorithm to develop competition-based models that included height, an important indicator of tree competition as a major predictor of density. “These innovative models represent a major advance in improving the accuracy of estimating tree count.” Curious about how the North American boreal forest could fare under the ongoing assault of global warming, the researchers also projected tree density maps using various climate change scenarios. They found that under increasingly warmer climates, tree density in the boreal forest would rise overall by at least 11% by the year 2050. “This result suggests that boreal forests might be more resilient to climate change than we thought,” Mr He said. The study highlights the need for advanced and accurate data and models that can help with planning and policy development to support the boreal forest as it adapts and responds to climate change. Though efforts to cope with the impact of climate change, such as the Government of Canada’s commitment to planting two billion trees by 2030, are “laudable,” they still fall short of what’s needed. “That number only accounts for 0.83% of our estimated total number of 240 billion boreal trees in Canada, speaking to the mitigation challenge through tree-planting,” Mr He said. “Protection of natural forests is the best nature-based solution.” Co-authors on the study include former U of A PhD students Kun Xu, Jingye Li and Jian Zhang, and postdoctoral research fellow Dingliang Xing. The study, done in collaboration with Hubei Normal University and East China Normal University, was funded by the Alberta Land Institute and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Alliance grant. Xu’s work on the research was supported through the China Scholarship Council.