Travel Photo Of The Day: Pine Nuts

You may have noticed the climbing prices of pine nuts in recent months. If so, you're not alone; prices have indeed risen worldwide. These soft and subtly flavored nuts are popular in cuisines around the globe, yet because of a shortage in the world supply, many customers are now turning to more affordable substitutes like cashews or walnuts.

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So what's causing this shortage? According to Bloomberg, there are several reasons including "logging, deforestation, fire, and pests" across China, Russia, and the United States. The amount and health of pine nut supplies are tied to the health of their forests since they are mostly a "product of wild ecosystems." In other words, when the forest ecosystem suffers, so do pine nut harvests.

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