It's that time of year when nature goes all-in on leaf demolition. So, what's the process?

In the four decades that I've studied treetop biology, I've always focused on canopy-dwelling plants. But forests also support a fascinating array of arboreal animals.

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.