I'm looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join my group at Carnegie Science, now based at Caltech in Pasadena. If you're interested in land-atmosphere interactions and how they're influenced on small scales by microclimates, please take a look at the ad! apply.interfolio.com/190703

Today I walked around an old dune and swale complex near Lake Superior. These are fairly common along the south shore, but this is a REALLY long one, stretching out in arcs that span 2 miles. There were no bugs and the blueberries were ripe and in endless supply on the old dunes. A fine day.

In my book I talk about how one of Trump’s most surprising traits is that he loves trees. Specifically, he loves driving around in a limo, buying old trees from people’s yards, and them transplanting them on his golf courses. (Which is *the* most Trumpy way to love a tree, if you think about it…)

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

Trump: "Look at the blue cities. What do they have in common? They're all dirty. They're filthy dirty. Their streets are dirty. Their streets smell. Their storefronts are broken. Their trees are all gross. Everything about the place is dirty. It's really all of them."

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Biology is searching for a tenure track assistant professor in Aquatic Ecology to start August 2027! Application deadline September 28 2026. I am searching chair, please reach out with any questions!! wisconsin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UW_Comprehen...

A former grad student, Rachel Keen (not on Bluesky), is starting a tenure track position at Kansas State and is recruiting grad students to study the ecohydrology of grassland, shrubland and woodland transition ecosystems. She would be great to work for! rleasey.wixsite.com/keenecohydro...

So I read the entire New Golden Age of Science report from Kratsios to Trump. If you want to skip my various stream-of-consciousness thoughts and exclamations and get right to a summary, here it's the relevant part of the thread.

Science: A New Golden Age

President Trump seeks to lay the foundations for a new Golden Age of American Innovation. The Trump administration is working to revitalize the national science enterprise, to secure U.S. leadership i...

whitehouse.gov

Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com · 2w ago

20. I could go on and on but this report is slop for a mind addled by TikTok. Every point is a soundbite: idea, but never plan or solution. The sections or even subsections directly contradict one another. Irrelevant grievances and pet hobbyhorses flicker into view and disappear without explanation.

Yesterday I stopped by a remote reservoir. It is 1200 acres and does not have a single dwelling on the entire shore. There were many intact white pine stumps with 3-5' diameters along the shore. Here is just one primary root that someone cut off for a bonfire years ago. It has about 300 rings.

It was a day Parking ticket at 8 AM for not moving field vehicle for line repainting while rain started at 8 AM Proposal reviews say high priority but not funded Safety officer dislikes our research group sanding wood 2.5 hours of childcare Bird stuck in garage for hours causing distress

Went down a rabbit hole on FB marketplace. I searched "Barn Beams" and made a list of >100 unique locations in WI and another 40 in MI trying to sell beams from mostly 1800's dismantled barns. It seems this could be interesting sociological info and also represent untapped dendro resources...

It was >95 degrees today but I had some time to check out a red pine site along a historic travel corridor I have wanted to stop at for the past year. It did not disappoint; pictured below is another culturally modified tree -- used for resin harvesting. Only the 4th we have found in the UP.

We're not done friends. See thread. Comment on the NSF proposal, contact your reps!

Mark Peifer (He, him)@peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 3w ago

Let's learn a lesson from the nearly 500K of us who mobilized to comment on the OMB rules. We can leave the sidelines, take action and it can make a difference. After 15 months of inaction, our scientific societies finally woke up and mobilized members. It doesn't stop there 1/n

That one NW of Lake Nipigon really blew up. Looks like it will be a smoky day tomorrow in the UP, which is not fun during a heatwave. It is after midnight and 85 degrees outside at 87 degrees in the upper level of our house containing the bedrooms (no AC).

Dakota Smith@weatherdak.bsky.social · 3w ago

A massive plume of smoke generated by a cluster of wildfires in Minnesota and Ontario this evening. Some pyrocumulonimbus in there too.

New job--please share! Looking for a postdoc to deep learning methods for identifying plant species from drone imagery. The two year position offers a salary of $78,000 and the option to be based in Boise, Idaho, or Burns, Oregon. For more info: caughlinlab.com/join-the-lab/ #postdoc #drones #ai

I’m looking to recruit a postdoc to join my research group at University of Iowa to work on disturbance ecology and biodiversity! Start date flexible, lots of opportunity for skill development, collaboration, and mentorship. Will review applicants in mid-August! Link: gavinmjones.com/opportunities/

Opportunities

BIG NEWS! The Jones Lab will be relocating to the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability (SEES) at the University of Iowa in Fall 2026. Our work on disturbance ecology and conservation sc…

gavinmjones.com

I need y'all to understand that I teach high school and there are teenagers already planning to leave the U.S. to because they will be studying science or medicine. They are SO serious about it - saving money, learning extra languages, and looking to see if there are familial connections abroad.

Bethany Brookshire@beebrookshire.bsky.social · last mo.

You may have heard about the OMB rule change that will put politics over federal grants. However bad you think it is? It's probably worse. Thanks to @theverge.com for letting me report this one out. There is still time to comment. bit.ly/4v2X4nQ

Two ash trees below our house tonight offer a lesson in resistance. Almost all ash died in this area from emerald ash borer but these survived. One is survives only via epicormic sprouts while the other has a fully intact canopy. Hoping they can confer a bit of resistance to the next generation.

Some MTU students in action collecting fire history data in the UP from our most recent data collection trip.

If only gravity affects tensionwood (TW) formation, not mechanical strain, I am curious how lignin biosynthesis downregulated by up to 40% caused a 3-fold increase in TW formation (5 to 15% of cells) in poplar stems? doi.org/10.1111/j.14... Perhaps both mechanisms can induce TW formation.

Reduced wood stiffness and strength, and altered stem form, in young antisense 4CL transgenic poplars with reduced lignin contents

• Reduced lignin content in perennial crops has been sought as a means to improve biomass processability for paper and biofuels production, but it is unclear how this could affect wood properties ...

doi.org

Journal of Integrative Plant Biology@jipb.bsky.social · last mo.

Zhang et al. report that in Populus, #gravity, not mechanical strain, redirects auxin and initiates tension #wood formation, revealing how #trees sense orientation, reshape their structure, and adapt to their #environment. doi.org/10.1111/jipb... @wileylifesci.bsky.social #PlantScience

Decoupled carbon assimilation and growth responses to aridity in temperate deciduous oaks Led by @mukund24rao.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Decoupled carbon assimilation and growth responses to aridity in temperate deciduous oaks

Long-term carbon sequestration as woody biomass in oaks is decoupled from photosynthesis and more sensitive to climate change.

science.org

The field sites for coastal pine research in the UP are up there with the best of possible research locations.

Stopped by our cabin for an evening and got some kayak fishing time in. Lots of takers of all species and sizes on just one spinner buzzed over the emerging large-leafed pondweed (Potamogeton amplexifolius). Here are just two largemouth bass. The bass were not spawning yet but will be soon.

Went for a walk along a really rugged part of the UP woods last week and found some cool trees and plants. I also found yet another an unmarked vertical mineshaft that I managed not to fall down. Those things are all over the rocky parts of the UP.

Please share. We are looking for a post doc to work on N fixation.

Stefan Hupperts 🌲🍄🦠🏳️‍🌈@stefhupperts.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We're searching for a postdoc fellow to conduct research on biological nitrogen fixation in boreal forests! The postdoc will join a dynamic and fun research group in Umeå. Deadline Aug 27th. Reach out if you have any questions! www.slu.se/en/about-slu... @michael-gundale.bsky.social

Has anybody imported tree cores into the US and can give me some pointers on paperwork? 🌎🧪

Few people ever find a niche passion that intersects with a niche talent and at an age when they’re unapologetic about both. Before the world says “you should be embarrassed.” He’s gonna end up being a world renowned ornithological researcher or educator.

🌋 New Paper 🌋 I’m thrilled to share our latest paper, out today in Nature Communications. All the manuscripts I write mean a lot to me, but this one feels particularly special. What a privilege to work with this team of co-authors on this topic. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Prescribed burns and biomass removal saves $3.73 in economic damage for every dollar spent. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Wildfire damages and the cost-effective role of forest fuel treatments

Wildfires are among the most pressing environmental challenges of the 21st century, intensified by the accumulation of forest fuels after a century of fire suppression policies. Although fuel-reductio...

science.org

Me, two weeks into a summer of fire scar data collection...

Steve Voelker@thetreecorener.bsky.social · 3mo ago

MS student Isabella Stone and I went scouting a beautiful coastal red pine site today. After meeting with one of the private landowners we now have access to sample all ~200 acres. Here is a "peel scar" on a snag from indigenous resin harvesting practices.

Where does our #timber come from? In new study led by Jakub Truszkowski, we show timber #tracing gets more accurate if wood chemical data from different tree species are combined. Data gaps of 1 species are filled by the others. 🍁🌐🌍 #Timtrace #forest #woodtrade link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New paper out today led by Marcel Kunz - 'Exorcizing Divergence in Tree-Ring Density Along the Rocky Mountains' - tree-ring density remains a strong temperature proxy in the Northern Rockies across all frequencies agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Exorcizing Divergence in Tree‐Ring Density Along the Rocky Mountains

Tree-ring density continues to track recent warming trends in Western North America Divergence between proxy and instrumental data is minimized by thorough site and target selection and suitable ...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com