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Short Wave

How Will Future Forests Survive Climate Change?

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.76K Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Forests are the lungs of our planet. Not only do they absorb carbon dioxide and create oxygen, they also regulate temperature, absorb rainwater to help prevent flooding, and provide critical habitat for the majority of the world's land-based plant and animal species.

But due to land conversion for agriculture and road construction, timber harvesting, and increasing wildfires, the trees that make up our forests are increasingly endangered. That's why we need reforestation: replanting new forests to replace the old ones.

For the past century, the United States Forest Service has helped to replant new forests and manage existing ones. But as scientists face the ongoing threat of climate change, they're developing new strategies... including one that tries to literally predict the future.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year. Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.

0:14.3

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

0:21.1

Hey, shortwaver's Emily Kwong here, and today I am joined by producer Hannah Chin.

0:26.4

Hello.

0:27.3

For a story about forests.

0:29.4

Okay, Han, you reported this story from somewhere that sounds pretty wet.

0:36.1

Are you in a forest right now? I am not in a forest, but I did report this story from somewhere that sounds pretty wet. Are you in a forest right now?

0:38.3

I am not in a forest, but I did report this story from somewhere that is wet,

0:42.4

which is my home state of Oregon.

0:44.2

Nice.

0:44.7

We drove out on a rainy day to the U.S. Forest Service's Darina Genetic Resource Center.

0:50.1

It's located in Cottage Grove, which is this small town that's a couple hours drive from Portland.

0:55.6

And the day I visited, the crew was pretty busy.

0:58.4

We're putting 10 per bag here.

1:01.4

So let's see, I got six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

1:06.7

That's how many fit in this bag.

1:08.9

Packing up hundreds of baby Douglas fir trees into plastic bags and then big cardboard boxes.

1:15.6

And then I'm putting it in the pile here.

1:17.9

Right now we're counting 67 per box.

1:22.4

So this is Michelle Osgood.

1:23.8

She's the assistant horticulturist here at Durrina Genetic Resource Center.

1:27.3

And she and her crew are taking all of these seedlings out of the greenhouse.

...

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