NRES

As winter comes to a close, many people look forward to warmer temperatures and spring blooms, but for land managers working to preserve or restore oak-dominated forests, it is prescribed burn season. Fire brings more light into forests, which is crucial for young oak tree growth, but many land managers are concerned about how non-native plants affect fire intensity and young tree survival rates.

Finding bats in the attic or under roof tiles is no homeowner’s idea of fun. But Florida’s endangered bonneted bats have few natural options left. With a dwindling number of large, old trees with cavities — their preferred habitat — and exotic species competing for what’s left, many bonneted bats have moved into homes, leading to panicked humans and calls to professionals who can oust the squatters.

In a world where increasing demands for food security and energy strain existing resources, scientists are looking for new ways to maximize both. One potential option, agrivoltaics, integrates solar photovoltaics with crops. A new study examines the agricultural and economic trade-offs that come with installing solar arrays on working farms across the Midwest.

A new accounting of nitrogen pollution in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) reveals a significant decline in recent decades, suggesting positive momentum for water quality goals in local watersheds and the Gulf.

Keeping amphibians as pets offers hobbyists an opportunity to connect with the non-human world, often increasing interest in conserving animals in the wild.

Corn bred with genes from wild relatives can reshape soil microbial communities and reduce nitrogen loss — with no yield reduction — according to new research from the University of Illino

Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now differentiate between human-derived and hydrological contributions of riverine nitrogen pollution in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” That’s what kids are usually told on nature walks.

Cover crops improve soil health and water quality, prevent nutrient loss, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they’re only grown on about 5% of U.S. agricultural lands. That’s despite billions in annual federal investments, primarily in the form of cost-share and incentive payments to farmers who adopt conservation practices.   

A new study from the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides one of the most comprehensive explanations to date of how tile drainage, a common agricultural practice, enhances the functioning of agricultural landscapes. Although tile drainage has been widely studied as an important form of agricultural infrastructure, the new study built a comprehensive framework to explain why tile drainage is so effective across a wide range of outcomes.