Category: Forests

Golden oyster mushrooms cultivated, sold in Florida: Scientist urges caution

by Lourdes Mederos
November 3, 2025

The golden oyster mushroom, with bright yellow pillowy caps, are a popular buy that are sold in grow-your-own kits as well as standard grocery stores, farmer and gourmet markets. A University of Florida researcher warns it is quietly invading ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Culinary Connoisseurs, Culinary Mushroom Enthusiasts, Cultivating, Disrupt Ecosystems, Ecosystems, Farmer Market, Fungal Communities, Fungal Diseases, Golden Oyster Mushrooms, Gourmet Market, Grocery Stores, Grow-your-own Kits, Human Activities, INaturalist, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Invasive Species, Michelle Jusino, Mushroom Observer, News, Research, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Transporting, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

Assisted by sniffer dogs and DNA sequencing, researchers discover three new truffle species

by Megan Winslow
August 1, 2025

University of Florida biologists studying fungal evolution and ecology have discovered three new truffle species, including one capable of commanding hundreds of dollars per pound within culinary circles. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Forests, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Appalachian Mountains, Benjamin Lemmon, Biologist, Biology, Cascadia, Cooking, Culinary, Delicacy, Discovery, DNA Sequencing, Dog, Douglas Fir, Fungal, Fungus, Genetic Testing, Great Smoky Mountains, IFAS, Imaia Kuwohiensis, INaturalist, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Leucangium, Leucangium Carthusianum, Leucangium Cascadiense, Leucangium Oneidaense, Matt Smith, Matthew Smith, Megan Winslow, Morchellaceae, Oregon Black Truffle, Pacific Northwest, Pathology, Persoonia, Plant, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Rocky Mountains, Science, Sniffer Dog, Symbiotic Relationship, Truffle, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

Science by the millions: How everyday people are revolutionizing global biodiversity research with tech

by Lourdes Mederos
July 28, 2025

A frog croaks from a walking trail. A hiker snaps a photo and uploads it to iNaturalist. That single act — one person, one amphibian and one click — feeds into a growing global dataset that scientists now use to map shifting species ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Agencies, Agricultural Technology Firms, Aquatic Invasives, Biodiversity, BioScience, Brittany Mason, Citizen Science, Conservation, Corey Callaghan, Dataset, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fungi, Global Ecology, High-resolution Maps, INaturalist, INaturalist App, Invasive, Lourdes Mederos, Map Shifting, Modeling, News, Observations, Organisms, Photo, Plants, Research Grade, Scientists, Species Ranges, Study, Technology, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

Scaring neighbors and causing community tension: Study uncovers cost of invasive chameleons

by Lourdes Mederos
July 22, 2025

When exotic chameleons creep into a suburban Florida neighborhood, they bring more than their color-changing charm. They can also spark confusion, curiosity and social chaos. A new study by scientists at the University of Florida Institute ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Central Florida, Chameleon, Diane Sturgeon, Exotic Pet Market, IFAS, Invasion Science Institute, Invasive Reptiles, Invasive Species, Invasive Species Management, Lourdes Mederos, News, Non-native Species, Orange County, Panther Chameleon, Public, Residential Neighborhood, Societal Effects, Society, Species, Species Introduction, Stakeholders, UF/IFAS Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, University Of Florida, Warm Climate, Wildlife Managers, Wildlife Trade

Scientists will use $1M grant to build a support system addressing sea level rise and flooding in South Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
July 17, 2025

A team of University of Florida scientists has been awarded a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to tackle one of South Florida’s most urgent environmental threats: groundwater flooding and saltwater intrusion caused ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Disaster Preparation, Farm Management, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Ashley Smith, Biochemistry, Conservation, Eban Bean, Edward Evans, Flood, Flood Mitigation, Flood Risk, Food And Resource Economics, Grant, Green Infrastructures, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Mangrove Restoration, Miami, National Science Foundation, News, Rain Gardens, Saltwater Intrusion, Sea Level Rise, Soil Sciences, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southeast Florida, Stormwater, Stormwater Runoff, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Young Gu Her, Zachary Brym

Gone with the wind: Hurricane Helene helps researchers track pitch canker spread

by Megan Winslow
June 24, 2025

UF/IFAS researchers are mining Hurricane Helene data to better understand the spread of pitch canker and minimize the devastating disease’s impact on the timber industry, an important economic driver in the southeastern United States. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Forests, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural, Agriculture, Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel, Disease, Ecophysiology, FBRC, Forest Biology Research Cooperative, Funded, Fungal, Fusarium Circinatum, Genetic, Grant, Hurricane Helene, IFAS, Industry, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Lumber, Megan Winslow, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, NHERI, Nifa, Pathology, Pine Tree, Pitch Canker, Rapid Response To Extreme Weather Events Across Food And Agriculture Systems, Research, School Of Forest, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, Tania Quesada, Timber, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, William Hammond, Wind

Beloved ancient oak felled by Hurricane Helene to be honored through sprouts planted on UF campus

by Megan Winslow
May 13, 2025

As much as Norman Hall’s red bricks and gothic arches, the massive live oak tree in the courtyard was a defining feature of the University of Florida College of Education. Hurricane Helene toppled the tree in September, but it will live ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, UF/IFAS
Tags: Campaign, College Of Education, Courtyard, Design, Finding Touchstones, Fundraiser, Gage LaPierre, Glenn Good, Hurricane, Hurricane Helene, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Live Oak, Megan Winslow, Michael Andreu, Norman Hall, P.K. Yonge Laboratory School, Revival, School Of Forestry Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, Tree, UF, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Native Plant Nursery, University Of Florida

UF/IFAS study: Non-native trees quietly invading our U.S. forests, causing decline in native trees

by Lourdes Mederos
April 23, 2025

A new University of Florida study tracking more than 5 million trees over nearly three decades reveals a troubling trend for the future of forests in the United States – the loss of native trees. According to findings, published in ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Biodiversity, Biological Invasions, Forest, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasion Science Research Institute, ISRI, Lourdes Mederos, Native, Native Trees, News, Non-native, Non-native Trees, PNAS, Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, Research, Species Richness, Tree Biomass, Tree Plots, Trees, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Forest Inventory And Analysis, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Usda

UF/IFAS scientists discover sea-level rise threat to Florida’s endangered pine rocklands

by Lourdes Mederos
April 17, 2025

Pine rocklands are home to plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. They are also one of the world's most endangered habitats. Unique to South Florida, the Florida Keys and some islands in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, these upland ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Beneficial Fungi, Caicos, Conservation, DNA, Droughts, Ecosystem, Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Endangered Habitat, Florida, Florida Keys, Forest, Fungi, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Limestone Forest, Matthew Smith, Miami Dade, Molecular Ecology, Mycorrhizas, News, Pine Rocklands, Plant Pathology, Reforestation, Regeneration, Rising Temperatures, Romina Gazis, Salinity, Salt Intrusion, Sea Level Rise, Slash Pines, Symbiotic Associations, The Bahamas, Tropical Research And Education Center, Turks, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

Promoviendo el cambio: Florida 4-H empodera a jóvenes de Broward como pioneros en la reforestación con plantas nativas en pradera remanente del sur de Florida

by Luz Bahder
March 18, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. El programa 4-H de Florida en el Condado de Broward emplea métodos prácticos para enseñar conservación a estudiantes ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Blog Community, Clubs & Volunteers, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Curriculum, EVENTS, Forests, Invasive Species, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife
Tags: 4-H, 4-H De Florida En El Condado De Broward, Alexa Tillett, Biodiversidad, Broward, Club De Jardinería, Coconut Creek, Conservacion, Cornelia McNamara, Cypress Creek, Departamento De Parques Y Recreación Del Condado De Broward, Escuela Secundaria St. Thomas Aquinas, Espanol, Especies Invasoras, Estudiantes, Fern Forest, Florida, Florida 4-H Del Condado De Broward, James Lange, Jardín Botánico Tropical Fairchild, Jovenes, Kenan Bridges, Laboratorio Viviente, Linda Briggs Thompson, Plantas Nativas, Praderas, Proyecto Educativo De Restauración De Plantas Nativas, Rcosistemas, Restauracion, Sarah Lauretta, Sociedad De Plantas Nativas De Florida, Spanish, St. Thomas Aquinas

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