Beech trees use seasonal soil moisture to optimize water uptake
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 15-Dec-2025 16:11 ET (15-Dec-2025 21:11 GMT/UTC)
A new study of European beech trees reveals that their root systems respond more to short-term changes in soil water than to the long-term wetness of their growing sites. During dry periods, beech trees grow thinner, longer roots with more tips, enhancing water absorption, while wetter conditions lead to shorter, thicker roots. This seasonal root flexibility allows the trees to adapt rapidly to fluctuating soil moisture, highlighting the importance of monitoring short-term water availability for understanding tree resilience to drought.
Researchers have introduced a statistical method that allows accurate forest monitoring using satellite images with missing data. The hybrid estimator works directly with flawed data, bypassing the need for complex and uncertain data repair processes. This approach achieved over 90% sampling precision, meeting national forest inventory standards, and performed as well as techniques requiring complete satellite imagery. This provides a cost-effective way to leverage decades of archived satellite data for reliable forest and carbon stock assessment, supporting vital climate and conservation efforts.
The SWIFTT project invites foresters, forest managers, and other forestry experts to its upcoming hybrid seminar, “Technology & Forestry,” taking place on 11 February 2026, from 9:00 to 17:00 CET, at Terblock Castle, in Overijse, Belgium, 25km from Brussels. The event will feature a live demonstration of the SWIFTT platform and presentations from project team, allowing participants to discover how it supports timely, data-driven decision-making in the field, and helps foresters detect and prevent spruce bark beetle outbreaks, as well as analyse windthrow and fire damage. Various forest stakeholders from the public and private sectors will also talk about their solutions for a sustainable forest management across Europe.
Galápagos is a living laboratory where every environmental decision matters. On Santa Cruz, the most populated island of the archipelago, freshwater is a limited and increasingly vulnerable resource due to urban growth, agricultural pressure, saltwater intrusion, and climate change. In this context, understanding how water behaves across the landscape becomes essential for water security.
Our study proposes a geomorphological approach to identify which watersheds offer the best conditions for water conservation, which require immediate intervention due to their susceptibility to erosion, and which could be suitable for sustainable agricultural activities.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates has launched Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development, a platform designed to bring AI solutions to climate-exposed agricultural regions and support the communities most affected by shifting weather patterns.