Trees communicate. They migrate. They protect. They heal. We climbed into the NPR archives to find some of our favorite arboreal fiction, nonfiction, and kids' lit — get ready to branch out.

Today on Texas Matters, could the West Texas Chihuahuan desert be greened? One Texan is trying to restore his 320 acres of West Texas hard scrabble into a desert forest.

They've earned the name “forever chemicals,” because they don't break down and can persist in water and soil indefinitely. The EPA recently set new limits on the toxic chemicals used to make everything from nonstick pans to firefighting foam. How to protect yourself and your family.

People in Corpus Christi could be the first in Texas to drink treated seawater. Water scarcity in the state is a growing crisis, and ocean desalination is being touted as a solution. But community activists are pointing out there are serious downsides to ocean desalination.

Many people wonder whether the Colorado River that runs through Texas is related to the other Colorado River that created the Grand Canyon. It's not.

Spring is a busy time for the people charged with rehabilitating animals that are injured or orphaned. Right now, it's baby squirrel season across much of the country.

The Smokehouse Creek fire was the largest wildfire in Texas History burning over a million acres in the Panhandle. The fire has been out for over a month, but the disaster continues. We are going to get an update on the recovery and what needs to happen to prevent other massive wildfires.

In a small Texas city, officials say land previously treated with a prescribed burn stopped the Windy Deuce Fire from entering neighborhoods. But the practice of intentionally burning excess vegetation has faced opposition from some private landowners.

The city is decreasing its number of drought stages from five to three with greater differences between stages. The new restrictions also change how the city measures its available water supply.

Polly, a one-year-old Pekin duck, is believed to have lost her bill during an animal attack. She now lives at All Things Wild Rehabilitation, a sanctuary for injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife in Georgetown.