Living Carbon’s Post

One of the most gratifying parts of what we do at Living Carbon is seeing the early signs of progress toward restoring degraded land to thriving forests that deliver high-quality carbon removal to our planet 🌳 🌎.

In my two months working with GTMI, RBI, and partners like Living Carbon, I am struck by how much innovation is happening that is often unnoticed. From GTMI member companies explaining how adopting automation can increase both productivity and manufacturing jobs, to RBI research in how to manage forests in ways that balance competing needs of biodiversity, increased demand for wood as a feedstock for sustainable fuels and polymers, and climate mitigation, there is a lot of positive momentum and opportunity for our shared future.

Check out this update from a recent fire at one of our sites in South Florida! About 5 months ago, this area was affected by a fire, but you wouldn't know it by these beautiful plants growing wide! The short green plants with yellow flowers are called Narrowleaf yellowtops (Flaveria linearis). They are absolutely thriving from the abundance of nutrients in the soil after that fire! The Narrowleaf yellowtop is a host to many species of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. The large growth of these plants after the fire will bring those pollinators to the area, which will continue to increase biodiversity near & far! This life cycle is a perfect example of how fires can actually help ecosystems, even though they seem to be so destructive from a human point of view. Are you interested in reading more updates like this? Make sure to sign up for our email newsletter (just 1 email per month) so you get more details than you would here on social media! Click this link to sign up now! https://shorturl.at/vDajK Photo by Melany Flint * * * * * #FromtheFieldFriday #IRC #InstituteforRegionalConservation #PineRocklandInitiative #PRI #PineRockland #EcologicalRestoration #EcosystemRestoration #HabitatRestoration #nonnativeplant #invasiveplant #RestoringtheGoldCoast #RGC #CoastalStrand #BeachDune #Narrowleafyellowtop #Flaverialinearis

The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 offers a powerful example of how interconnected and interdependent our natural world is. By the early 20th century, wolves were hunted to extinction in Yellowstone due to concerns that they were a threat to livestock and game populations. The last known wolves in the park were killed in the 1920s. The absence of wolves allowed the elk population to grow unchecked, leading to overgrazing and significant damage to the park’s vegetation, particularly the willow and aspen trees. This decline in vegetation affected other species, like beavers and songbirds, which rely on these trees for food and habitat. However, when wolves were reintroduced, they naturally began preying on the elk, reducing their numbers and altering their grazing behavior. Elk became more cautious, avoiding open areas where they were most vulnerable to wolf attacks. This change in behavior allowed the vegetation to recover. As the willows and aspens grew back, beavers returned, building dams that created new habitats for fish, amphibians, and birds. Even the course of rivers began to change as the landscape stabilized, reducing erosion. This phenomenon, known as a trophic cascade, illustrates how a single species can have a profound impact on an entire ecosystem. It underscores the deep interdependence that exists in nature—how the actions of one species can ripple through the environment, affecting others in ways that might not be immediately apparent. [Butterfly Effect | ERA Professionals] #EducationForAll #ButterflyEffect #YellowstoneNationalPark #Wolves #Interdependency #Interconnectedness #Habitat #Vegetation #Ecosystem #Nature #ERA

🌿 Embrace the Power of Native Plants! 🌿 Incorporating native plants into your garden supports local wildlife, reduces flooding, and adds diversity to your landscape. Choose wisely by selecting species native to our region, and plant with purpose to create vital habitat connections. Together, let's protect our ecosystems and foster a greener, more sustainable future. 🌼 #SupportNativePlants #ProtectOurEcosystems #GoGreenWithOpenlands

How do #indigenous peoples support pollinators? 🦋Favouring heterogeneity in landscapes & gardens 🌳Conserving nesting sites & flowering resources 💡IPLC practices can be a source of solutions for pollinator declines —IPBES #PollinationAssessment

These wonderful ponies are helping us rewild. We are having a look at this plantation near the Wild Mosaic site. It has all the problematic features of a plantation: Monoculture - Yes Most trees same age and height - Yes Non-native species - Yes So, cut it down and start again? - Perhaps not. This plantation is starting to show some positive signs. There are dead standing trees and a decent amount of fallen trees creating space on the ground and in the canopy. And rotting wood for the earth. There are birds nests. This is partly because of its age. A lot of this may be because there aren't many forests in the area so this has provided a workable substitute for the wildlife that depends on woodland. It's a good reminder that rewilding, wildife and biodiversity are difficult to generalise. Local context is always important. #GenerationRestoration

My recent research into the Ailanthus tree has, of course, resulted in related stories in my news feed. When reading the story below, however, about this “invasive” tree, my thoughts were: here is a lush, fast-growing tree that grows where nothing else will grow. It needs no water and tolerates the worst soils. Imagine the potential for such a tree to re-forest the planet and create habitat for wildlife. As in the book A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, how about if we stop demonizing this tree and indeed, admire and exploit it for its life-giving properties? Chris Olson ? https://lnkd.in/e8tEkQH5

Put my writing cap back on for this article celebrating #WorldBeeDay 🐝🍯 Check it out here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d_cZiXTc

The vegetation you see at the Green Highways Becher St. Overpass project site is the beginning of revegetation of the site with native plants. The native plant seeds establish themselves in year one and take two to three years to mature. Early species to take hold this summer are the grasses, such as rye grass, little bluestem, and Indiangrass. Other additional native plant species that you’ll see this summer and in following years include wild bergamot, yellow coneflower, and prairie blazing star. The photo shows native plant growth at MMSD Headquarters: year one native plant growth on the left and year three native plant growth on the right. https://lnkd.in/gQFmdaP4 Wisconsin Department of Transportation #greeninfrastructure