Grasses are well adapted to fire, being able to resprout quickly from their roots and thus outcompete tree seedlings.

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And then, when only one woman was left, she brought over two tree seedlings, little green shoots with just a couple of leaves on them.

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In those areas that have had three or four periods of experimental burning only half the number of species of tree seedlings originally found are still there.

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Employees (and sometimes their kids as well) have cleaned up New Hampshire beaches, planted trees were planted in Germany and Thailand, improved urban spaces improved in Spain, picked up rubbish picked up in Japan, and planted, weeded and fertilized a field of tree seedlings in China.

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Chen said tree and vegetable seedlings also have been pulled up by the roots from family fields.

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