Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Biodiversity key to health forests, says study

Climate Ark, via Agence France-Presse: Forests planted with a diverse species of trees will be better able to withstand pest infestation than those that are sown plantation-style with just one species, a study released Monday said. A diversity of trees will support a greater range of insects than a single species, ensuring that there are more predators to keep down the numbers of a pest that, unchecked, could decimate a swath of woodland in an outbreak year.

"Mixed forests have a greater flexibility than plantation-style forests," explained Eldon Eveleigh, an entomologist with the Canadian Forest Service in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The findings have implications for the management of forestry lands, and also commercial plantations….

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