Publication archives

If you take a close look at New Hampshire's Mount Moosilauke, or the high peaks of the Franconia and Presidential Ranges, you can see gray bands of dead balsam fir trees within the green swath of live balsam firs below the summits.

This past autumn, Penny Rodrick-Williams, an instructor in University of Delaware's department of entomology and wildlife ecology, took a group of undergraduates to Iron Hill Park four times a week for three weeks to monitor the mammals, birds and trees at this 335-acre tract near Newark. But it wasn't just an academic exercise.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a $79 million award against Weyerhaeuser in a lawsuit alleging the forest-products company tried to monopolize the hardwood-lumber market in the Pacific Northwest. The 9-0 decision comes in the case of a defunct lumber mill that said it was driven out of business when Weyerhaeuser paid too much for logs it allegedly didn't need.

A biodiesel start-up headed by a former Microsoft Corp. executive announced it has closed $113 million in equity financing and a $101 million line of credit, one of the biggest investments in the rapidly growing "clean-technology" sector.

Believed to be a turnip-cabbage hybrid from Bohemia (part of Slovakia), the rutabaga originated in the early 1600s. Well suited to northern climates, it spread to Britain and Scandinavia. The name comes from the Swedish, rotbagga. In Scotland, it's a popular accompaniment to haggis (haggis and neeps).

In the Middle Ages, especially during Lent, Europeans favored the parsnip because of its flavor, nourishment and ability to satisfy hunger through meatless fasting periods. In fact, parsnips once enjoyed greater popularity than either potatoes or carrots.

2 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon chopped lemon zest 3/4 cup water 2 1/4 pound fresh cranberries 1/2 teaspoon vanilla One 10 -inch sweet pastry crust, docked and totally blind baked 1 cup whipped cream Sprigs of mint Chopped lemon zest Powdered sugar

Louisiana's state tree has been the focus of a battle between business and conservationists for years. Last year, a national advertising campaign urged Americans to boycott mulch made from bald cypress, taking the fight to a new level.