Chip factory growth boughs to native plants in Phoenix

Here's the story of one business at the intersection of conservation and growth amid Phoenix’s semiconductor boom.
“What we have been able to do with developers is make them understand that not only is there an environmental advantage to saving the trees ... there's also a monetary advantage,” says Rob Kater, owner of Native Resources.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

Genetically modified trees arrive in U.S. forests

The idea is that they'll be able to pull more carbon dioxide from the air than regular trees.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

A Minnesota company says its ecological logging approach is good for the forest — and the bottom line

Dec 26, 2022
With an approach that harvests trees selectively, instead of clearcutting, profits are deferred.
John Rajala (left), CEO of Rajala Companies, and retired biology professor John Pastor talk about the history of white pines in northern Minnesota in October 2022, near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

There isn't enough space for all of the trees companies want to plant

Nov 8, 2021
By one estimate, the pledges out there already would require a forest five times the size of India.
New research by Oxfam indicates that there may not be enough room to plant all the trees proposed in corporate climate pledges. Above, native birch trees grow next to a desert of volcanic sand in Iceland.
Sean Gallup via Getty Images

Texas tree growers will feel February freeze effects for years

Apr 26, 2021
And right now everyone including homeowners, city parks, schools and businesses in Texas needs plants and trees.
Palm trees with fronds turning brown stand on Simmons Oak Farms just outside of Harlingen, Texas.
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

Strong demand for cleanup crews in North Carolina

Oct 18, 2018
After recent storms, residents are still struggling to get back to normal amid mountains of debris.
“This is heart wrenching, you know?” says Randy Campbell, who with his crew clears debris after disasters. “We just come in and help clean it up and make some money doing it.”
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

Strong demand for cleanup crews in North Carolina

Oct 18, 2018
After recent storms, residents are still struggling to get back to normal amid mountains of debris.
“This is heart wrenching, you know?” says Randy Campbell, who with his crew clears debris after disasters. “We just come in and help clean it up and make some money doing it.”
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

Inside New York City's 24-hour Christmas tree stands

Dec 22, 2017
A few days before Christmas, our reporter sets out to find a tree for the office.
Danny Abbott hangs lights for the night crew at Soho Trees in New York City.
Ryan Kailath/Marketplace

In Nebraska, historic shelterbelts are making way for more crops

Nov 28, 2017
The strips of trees once protected farmers from Dust Bowl storms. Reporter Carson Vaughan wrote about them.
A view of the plains in Sidney, Nebraska.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Savannah woodworkers find new uses for trees downed by Hurricane Matthew

Jan 5, 2017
Locals are trying to save some of Savannah's beautiful old trees from the woodchipper
Hurricane Matthew uprooted or damaged many trees in Coastal Georgia, including some in Savannah's famous historic squares.
Emily Jones