One of my favorite traits of maple trees is how they distribute their seeds.

If you look up at a forest canopy, you might see what look like tangled clusters of twigs scattered among the branches.

Trees grace many works of fiction. Think of the magnificent treehouse in “The Swiss Family Robinson,” a beautiful, elevated place of safety on a deserted island.

Clarinets are made from a tree in the rosewood family, a dense hardwood that allows makers to create instruments with long vibrations and resonant tones.

On a recent visit to south Florida, I was intrigued to learn about Spanish moss, a plant that looks like wispy gray hair draped in the crowns of live oak and other trees in subtropical woodlands.

Just how far could a primitive wooden raft get you across the ocean? According to archeologists, much further than we previously thought.

The world of trees creates many superlatives — the oldest tree, the tallest tree — but I bet that the quaking aspen is the world's liveliest tree. Its round leaves flutter in the slightest breeze.

I’ve always thought of forests and the sea as two distinct and separate systems. But there is a connector: driftwood — which brings elements of living forests to coastal marine life.

When I hike in the coastal forests of Washington State, I’m intrigued by sighting "culturally modified trees," or CMTs. These are living trees that have been visibly modified by indigenous peoples for use in their cultural traditions.

Most of us wash the fuzz off a peach before we eat it. But research shows that peaches need those fuzzy hairs for their survival.

Utah’s Wasatch Mountains have a rich mining history, but for many of those years, there was as much activity above ground as below.

Take a look at the packet of disposable chopsticks you get with your next order of sushi — you, the snap-apart kind, tucked in a paper sleeve. These throwaway chopsticks are clean and convenient, but they contribute to a bento box of environmental problems.

Smoky the Bear is probably the best-known animal firefighter, but the North American beaver is the one doing the heavy lifting.

Living, healthy urban trees cover our cities and neighborhoods. But when they die and have to be removed, cities are finding plenty of smart uses for their wood.

In the Great Lakes region, indigenous tribes built ideal canoes from the bark of the white birch tree.

One researcher studies trees not by their shape or size, but by the space that's between their branches and other trees.

Dancing clogs have wooden soles, and traditionally were made from hardwood trees such as beech and sycamore.

The ancient juniper doesn't win the prize for being the tallest tree, but it is among the West's oldest.

You can find trees in the most awesome habitats, like Redwood National Park. and also in the most everyday places, like on the counter of your favorite coffee shop.