Excellent discussion of how climate-change fueled wildfires are converting the forest lands of the American west into semidesert scrub zones. One needs to keep in mind that the science linking this to carbon emissions and hence to the fossil fuels industry is now extremely clear.
Wildfires Are Turning Forests in the American West Into Shrubland
Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.
www.nytimes.com
August 23, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Excellent discussion of how climate-change fueled wildfires are converting the forest lands of the American west into semidesert scrub zones. One needs to keep in mind that the science linking this to carbon emissions and hence to the fossil fuels industry is now extremely clear.
My problem is id love to landscape with sun-loving semidesert plants. But live in New England surrounded by big maples and oaks 🤷♂️
June 27, 2026 at 4:33 PM
My problem is id love to landscape with sun-loving semidesert plants. But live in New England surrounded by big maples and oaks 🤷♂️
Pumpkin Spice Semidesert
June 5, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Pumpkin Spice Semidesert
NEWS: Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
The pronghorn, whose habitat is typically in the grasslands and semidesert regions of southern Alberta, have been spotted in the Lakeland region, including near Smoky Lake.
dlvr.it
June 2, 2026 at 6:42 PM
NEWS: Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
LOCAL NEWS: Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
The pronghorn, whose habitat is typically in the grasslands and semidesert regions of southern Alberta, have been spotted in the Lakeland region, including near Smoky Lake.
dlvr.it
June 2, 2026 at 6:42 PM
LOCAL NEWS: Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
NEWS: Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
The pronghorn, whose habitat is typically in the grasslands and semidesert regions of southern Alberta, have been spotted in the Lakeland region, including near Smoky Lake.
dlvr.it
June 2, 2026 at 6:42 PM
NEWS: Pronghorn antelope spotted in Lakeland region
We've done in ground hugelkultur here and absolutely recommend it.
Changed the soil from WA semidesert to good rich growing soil.
Changed the soil from WA semidesert to good rich growing soil.
May 30, 2026 at 4:55 AM
We've done in ground hugelkultur here and absolutely recommend it.
Changed the soil from WA semidesert to good rich growing soil.
Changed the soil from WA semidesert to good rich growing soil.
Spot on. That area is called the Klein Karoo, semidesert, part of the Groot Karoo which borders Namaqualand and Richtersveld which are also stunning, then on to deserts like the Namib and Kalahari.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoo
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoo
May 20, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Spot on. That area is called the Klein Karoo, semidesert, part of the Groot Karoo which borders Namaqualand and Richtersveld which are also stunning, then on to deserts like the Namib and Kalahari.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoo
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoo
Yeah well in bum fuck Alberta the U of L has been studying climate for decades. Where once we’re good farming land is now a semidesert. Where once you could get 3 cuts of feed you are lucky to get one. And bye the way your region is happy to rip up fruit trees for housing. So I think not
May 12, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Yeah well in bum fuck Alberta the U of L has been studying climate for decades. Where once we’re good farming land is now a semidesert. Where once you could get 3 cuts of feed you are lucky to get one. And bye the way your region is happy to rip up fruit trees for housing. So I think not
Not sure why these 2 service people went AWOL. But hope they’re found.
US, Morocco & other countries participating in African Lion exercise have launched search & rescue operation. Incident occurred Sat at 9pm, near Cap Draa Training Area.Terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert & semidesert plains.
US, Morocco & other countries participating in African Lion exercise have launched search & rescue operation. Incident occurred Sat at 9pm, near Cap Draa Training Area.Terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert & semidesert plains.
2 US service members missing after military exercises in Morocco
Two U.S. service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after participating in annual multinational military exercises, according to the United States Africa Command
abcnews.com
May 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Not sure why these 2 service people went AWOL. But hope they’re found.
US, Morocco & other countries participating in African Lion exercise have launched search & rescue operation. Incident occurred Sat at 9pm, near Cap Draa Training Area.Terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert & semidesert plains.
US, Morocco & other countries participating in African Lion exercise have launched search & rescue operation. Incident occurred Sat at 9pm, near Cap Draa Training Area.Terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert & semidesert plains.
Since 2004, the South African government has been working to restore spekboom thickets in a semiarid region of the country.
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo
“Spekboom is everywhere, it’s all anyone talks about … what used to be an Angora goat farming town is now a spekboom town,” says field ecologist Rae Attridge. In the past two years, Nat Carbon, the ca...
news.mongabay.com
March 30, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Since 2004, the South African government has been working to restore spekboom thickets in a semiarid region of the country.
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo
“Spekboom is everywhere, it’s all anyone talks about … what used to be an Angora goat farming town is now a spekboom town,” says field ecologist Rae Attridge. In the past two years, Nat Carbon, the ca...
news.mongabay.com
March 29, 2026 at 9:05 PM
UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-r...
always thinking about the narragansett bay -- for instance:
(estuaries rule. they're one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, behind only tropical rainforests and algal beds/coral reefs.)
(estuaries rule. they're one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, behind only tropical rainforests and algal beds/coral reefs.)
March 8, 2026 at 2:57 AM
always thinking about the narragansett bay -- for instance:
(estuaries rule. they're one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, behind only tropical rainforests and algal beds/coral reefs.)
(estuaries rule. they're one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, behind only tropical rainforests and algal beds/coral reefs.)
Sometimes when I'm out for a walk in the semidesert I'll come across a healthy
February 20, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Sometimes when I'm out for a walk in the semidesert I'll come across a healthy
Since 2004, South Africa has worked to restore degraded spekboom thickets in a semiarid biome damaged by centuries of farming and grazing.
Now, as overgrazing, climate change and shifting markets strain agriculture, private operators are joining the effort, drawn by potential carbon credit income.
Now, as overgrazing, climate change and shifting markets strain agriculture, private operators are joining the effort, drawn by potential carbon credit income.
UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo
“Spekboom is everywhere, it’s all anyone talks about … what used to be an Angora goat farming town is now a spekboom town,” says field ecologist Rae Attridge. In the past two years, Nat Carbon, the…
news.mongabay.com
February 18, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Since 2004, South Africa has worked to restore degraded spekboom thickets in a semiarid biome damaged by centuries of farming and grazing.
Now, as overgrazing, climate change and shifting markets strain agriculture, private operators are joining the effort, drawn by potential carbon credit income.
Now, as overgrazing, climate change and shifting markets strain agriculture, private operators are joining the effort, drawn by potential carbon credit income.
A New Age of Reptiles: Broadley's Bullcroc and Common Scrapeshell
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
February 10, 2026 at 8:59 PM
A New Age of Reptiles: Broadley's Bullcroc and Common Scrapeshell
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
I didn't know. Here in Spain there are a lot and I think in Arizona (semidesert like Spain was the same)
December 19, 2025 at 1:31 PM
I didn't know. Here in Spain there are a lot and I think in Arizona (semidesert like Spain was the same)
Their irrigation for the entire SE of the country (canals feeding off the Dnieper) was destroyed when russia blew up the Khakhovka dam. It hardly rains there, and was semidesert before the dam was built. They are going to need some serious engineering when the war is over.
November 29, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Their irrigation for the entire SE of the country (canals feeding off the Dnieper) was destroyed when russia blew up the Khakhovka dam. It hardly rains there, and was semidesert before the dam was built. They are going to need some serious engineering when the war is over.
Well, given Ukraine will get Rafales, which can carry French ASMPA nuke missiles, they could adhere to the particularity of French nuclear doctrine of "prestrategic strike". A big 300kt boom somewhere in semidesert russia as "final warning" before Armageddon. A few hundred dead, to show seriousness.
November 27, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Well, given Ukraine will get Rafales, which can carry French ASMPA nuke missiles, they could adhere to the particularity of French nuclear doctrine of "prestrategic strike". A big 300kt boom somewhere in semidesert russia as "final warning" before Armageddon. A few hundred dead, to show seriousness.