"What's the oldest tree or other living organism on Earth?" That question was posed to BBC Crowd Science , and it turns out it's a difficult question to answer. The oldest confirmed organism is a bristlecone pine tree in California that's 5,067 years old. But its possible there are a few other organisms on the planet that are much older.

How much carbon dioxide can a tree absorb and store? That's a tough question to answer. A group from the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center went to Pongara National Park in Gabon to gather data on a massive Mangrove forest: the structure of the trees, their thickness and density, and even the biomass below the ground. These data will help answer questions on carbon storage, coastline degradation, and help them compare to other mangrove forest structures around the

Researchers from the Canadian Forest Service have created a time-series map of where and how forests have been disrupted between the years of 1985 and 2011. This is specifically tracking logging/harvesting and forest fires. A staggering 10 percent of our country's total forests saw some kind of damage over the almost 30 years. This type of research is helpful in tracking the Earth's carbon cycle, which is critical to understanding our changing climate.