What does research on tree memory have to do with humans? In episode four, we answer this question by discussing the carbon cycle and how both trees and humans fit into it. Carbon is a key building block of both trees and humans—it’s also in our food, clothing, and energy systems, and it touches all of human society. We talk about trees’ role in humanity’s future as we rearrange Earth’s carbon, and we talk about what tree memory has to do with it all.

How can scientists measure drought impacts? How do they know what’s truly an effect of drought vs. what would have happened anyway in a forest? In episode three of Season Two: Trees Remember, we meet two scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who combine satellite data with computing to discover the math behind forest behavior. They’re figuring out how drought affects a forest's ability to grow—to store carbon—not just during a drought, but years later.

How do scientists gather information from tree rings? In episode two of Season Two: Trees Remember, we take you with us as two scientists gather tree core samples in the forest and then process them into a treasure trove of information about tree memories of past climate. We explain how these scientists use tree rings in a unique way compared to past tree ring studies. And we explore why this team focuses on ecosystems where water is scarce and why that matters for humans.