Forestry Technology & Timber Harvesting

Biological diversity has made our planet habitable for billions of years, and now more than ever we’re realizing we need to understand, manage, and protect our species, habitats, and ecosystems to keep it that way. This episode visits the National Botanic Gardens in Ireland to see how centuries-old plant samples can provide clues to changes in our biodiversity. It introduces researchers who are using plants, trees, and even insect and birdsong recordings to measure and monitor environmental and climate change by combining field data with the latest satellite imaging. It also looks at the critical role of the bumblebee in pollination and biodiversity and considers how a seemingly innocuous imbalance in biodiversity can have lethal consequences.

Something exceptional is happening in the rainforests in the north of the Republic of the Congo: here loggers are not destroying the environment, but are helping to preserve the natural habitat of the 70,000 gorillas who call this forest home. Working closely with nature conservationists, the IFO timber company has found a way to remain in business without destroying the tropical forests.

The California wildfires of 2018 took a worrisome trend to a new extreme, claiming lives and more than a million acres. Scientists investigate how forestry practices, climate change, and drought may contribute to the rise of deadly megafires.

This program takes you on an epic journey to the frontlines of the fight to preserve the world's largest tropical rainforest.