"Our research supports keeping old quarries open. This can be achieved by local nature conservation organisations or landowners, for example by removing woody plants or extensive grazing," explains Thomas Alfert from NABU.

Biodegradable yet tough enough to withstand hurricanes, leaves get their strength from their “skeleton,” a highly ramified network of fine veins made of a woody compound called lignocellulose.

As glaciers recede, woody vegetation will move up in elevation, potentially coaxing bears into those higher-elevation habitats in search of food and expanding access to high-quality habitat.

California, for example, doesn’t account for greenhouse gases leaking out of unplugged oil wells or carbon emissions from biofuels, such as power plants that burn woody waste.

Next comes a series of shakers and screens that separate the seeds from all the woody material that surrounds them.