forests

An invasive worm is destroying forest floors and gardens across the country. Once jumping worms get into the soil, they're nearly impossible to get rid of — so experts say curbing their spread is the best tool against them.

The invasive golden oyster mushroom has been spotted in Boone County forests and is threatening native fungal biodiversity.

After 30 years of growth, Foundation for Regeneration is restoring the symbolic Heart Forest near Kansas City International Airport, adding an outline, trails and areas for guests to sit and reflect.

A three-day ice storm in northern Michigan early this spring left 145,000 people without power, some for weeks. Three months later, clean-up efforts are focused on millions of acres of the state's forests, where broken and fallen trees could affect the forest's long-term health.

The 100-acre tree nursery at George O. White State Forest, in Licking, Missouri, serves 13,000 customers a year — in the Show-Me State and beyond. Pawpaws are one of their most popular orders.

Kaylee Fritchen has worked at the U.S. Forestry Service since 2022, spending half the year undertaking intense manual labor to clear trails in an Idaho forest. She was in Manhattan, Kansas, when she learned that she had been terminated alongside dozens of her colleagues.

The U.S. could lose up to 15 million acres of forestland to development by 2060. One effort to keep forests intact is to give landowners a financial incentive through the carbon market.

The University of Missouri Extension and the Department of Conservation are enlisting landowners to plant and care for white oak seedlings. The tree species is essential for wildlife and industry, but it's struggling under climate change.

Trees cool cities, soak up greenhouse gases and make people healthier, and Kansas City is planting thousands of them. It's more than halfway to its goal of adding 10,000 trees by 2026, and won a grant from the U.S. Forest Service.

Vince Keeler was appointed forest supervisor of the Mark Twain National Forest in July. The forest spans 1.5 million acres across central and southern Missouri.

There are thousands of different wild mushrooms in Kansas and Missouri, but the morel stands alone when it comes to popularity. It’s a healthy, tasty snack that offers a chance to disconnect from the day-to-day.

The ordinance aims to prevent unnecessary tree removal by requiring developers to maintain existing trees or pay a fine. But some tree experts say the fine doesn’t cover the cost to replace a tree.