Explore every episode of the podcast YourForest
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 152 - Why Insects Matter–Forest Health | Insights From Caroline Whitehouse | 21 Aug 2024 | ||
In this episode of the YourForest podcast, host Matthew Kristoff sits down with Caroline Whitehouse, a forest health specialist with the Government of Alberta. They dive into the world of forest pests, focusing on the ecological importance of insects and how they contribute to forest resilience. Caroline shares her unique journey into entomology, emphasizing the need to appreciate insects not just as pests but as vital components of our ecosystems. Caroline Whitehouse is a forest health specialist with the Government of Alberta, where she monitors and manages forest health, particularly in relation to insect populations. She is also completing her Ph.D., focusing on the role of insects in forest ecosystems. Caroline’s work highlights the importance of understanding and managing forest pests within the broader context of ecological health and resilience. Matthew and Caroline explore the complex world of forest pests, discussing how insects like the mountain pine beetle play crucial roles in forest ecosystems. They talk about the challenges of managing these pests, the impact of climate change, and the importance of creating resilient landscapes. Caroline explains how disturbances, whether caused by insects or fire, are necessary for maintaining healthy forests. She also touches on the need for better monitoring and research to understand the full scope of insect biodiversity and conservation.
Resilient Landscapes: Building resilient landscapes that can recover from disturbances is essential. This means promoting diversity in tree species, ages, and forest structures. Insect Appreciation: Insects are fundamental to ecosystem processes. Rather than viewing them solely as pests, it’s important to understand their roles in nutrient cycling, pollination, and as food sources for other wildlife. Monitoring and Research: There is a critical need for expanded monitoring and research on insect populations, particularly in the face of climate change. Understanding insect biodiversity is crucial for effective forest management. Invasive Species: Urban forests are particularly vulnerable to invasive pests like the emerald ash borer. The spread of such species poses significant challenges for forest health and requires proactive management strategies. To learn more about Caroline Whitehouse and her work, stay tuned for future episodes and follow the links provided below. Additionally, if you’re inspired by this episode, consider supporting your local ecosystems by planting a diverse range of native species in your yard and avoiding the use of harmful pesticides.
Entomological Society of Alberta
46:25 - 46:53: “Insects are only pests as defined by us. Sure. They're just out there doing their thing right and living their lives and their populations fluctuate. And it's when it's something that becomes intolerable esthetically unpleasing to us or, you know, is potentially going to damage forest resources on a large scale, then that's a pest to us. It's kind of different in forestry, because in agriculture it's easy to define these. So we have a we have a process that's called integrated pest management.” 48:19 - 48:29: “When you remove a disturbance, that ecosystem becomes increasingly susceptible to exaggerated disturbances.” Takeaways Importance of Landscape Resilience (00:00:45) Caroline emphasized that creating resilient landscapes is crucial to ensuring that ecosystems can undergo disturbances and recover their functions. She believes the focus should be on maintaining ecosystem processes rather than the physical appearance of forests. Caroline’s Journey into Entomology (00:05:11) The Role of Insects in Ecosystems (00:09:39) Pollinators: Beyond Just Bees (00:12:41) The Misunderstanding of Honeybees (00:14:09) The Threats Facing Native Pollinators (00:18:17) Citizen Science and Insect Monitoring (00:30:59) Disturbance: A Key to Boreal Forest Health (00:48:00) Caroline highlighted that natural disturbances, including those caused by insects, are crucial for the boreal forest's renewal and succession. Removing these disturbances makes the ecosystem more vulnerable to larger, more damaging events. Insect Conservation as an Ecological Imperative (01:18:26) If you liked this podcast, please check out our YouTube channel, also please rate and review it, share it on Instagram and Twitter tag a friend, and send your feedback and comments to yourforestpodcast@gmail.com. | |||
| 151-Local Sustainability with Basil Camu | 17 Jul 2024 | ||
Do you want to support healthy ecosystems, and create a legacy that can last? Me too. Start with your lawn, then your community, then see how you feel. Basil Camu is an expert in local rewilding and today he is here to share his passion for natural ecosystems and how you can create a bounding oasis of local biodiversity literally in your back yard! Think native! Flowers, grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees, everything helps! I often get so wound up in forests and how we manage them that I forget that my yard, and community, can be a place for nature as well. I am now officially growing trees in my back yard with the intention of rewilding my property, and hopefully sharing that passion with others. Resources Sponsors Quotes 12.35 - 12.43: “I think humans are a part of this planet, we are all interconnected. There has been a huge disconnect between humans and the rest of life.” Takeaways “I love trees” (09.13) Basil’s love for ecosystems is reflected in his book, From Wasteland to Wonder. He believes that humans are a part of the planet and should not be separated from nature. Soil = life + sand + silt + clay (20.45) Basil explains how plants have been converting the sun’s energy into usable formats for millions of years, causing life to move from the oceans onto land and support all life above ground and under the soil. A tree is a 3D printer of life (23.10) Basil thinks of soil as a sponge, which holds water, thereby preventing flooding and enabling photosynthesis. He thinks of trees as pumps that feed the terrestrial planet and sequester carbon. Is the grass greener? (37.40) Basil points out that grass is the #1 crop grown in the USA but 10% or fewer Americans spend time in their yard. He highlights the need to work with natural systems instead of against them. A global water crisis (40.10) Basil calculates that by enabling photosynthesis and protecting the soil, you will do 75% of the things you can to address biodiversity. “The best place to start is planting trees” (42.34) Basil suggests people plant native trees. He suggests using chicken wire when planting native trees so they can grow protected. Life for life’s sake (49.17) A native plant can support most life, participate in the local ecosystem and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Nothing leaves the yard (59.19) Soil can be fed with any organic matter - fallen leaves, woodchips, etc. Basil recommends using compost instead of fertilizers since fertilizers have a massive carbon footprint. Self-sustaining meadows (1.09.24) Basil speaks about using glyphosate to remove vegetation and create a native meadow for ecological restoration. He recommends sowing a seed blend or flower seeds during winter. Grow your own meadow (1.14.56) Basil recommends planting butterfly milkweeds to help monarch butterflies on their flight path. He also suggests planting a few saplings to create a pocket forest and putting up educational signs. A forest in your pocket (1.21.06) Basil suggests using oak and hickory trees which have higher ecological value, feed more species of life and have understory species and shrub layers. Project Pando (1.26.47) Project Pando, the non-profit arm of Leaf & Limb, engages a community to collect seeds from native trees and shrubs and get them processed and planted through volunteers. Working with trees helps strengthen the bond and connection for people to see themselves as a part | |||
| 142- Achieving Tree Equity with American Forests | 18 Oct 2023 | ||
Why is tree equity important? They are just trees, right? So what? They don’t impact health, wealth, quality of life? They just look good! Well, in fact trees do ALL of these things. They drastically reduce deadly heatwaves, reduce breathing problems, shelter your home from the elements, reduce drainage costs, increase your mood, and save you money in all kinds of other ways. Now a new tool shows us which communities are receiving these benefits and which are not. Urban communities in particular are dangerously low on tree cover. We can help deliver basic human rights to those that need it just by planting trees. Resources Sponsors Quotes 10.45 - 10.54: “Trees are important for people and… they are [an] essential part of our climate justice conversations and our health justice conversations.” Takeaways Data can be democratized (03.47) Benita explains that American Forests is focusing on ensuring tree equity in urban areas. so that all communities can benefit from greenery. Tree equity (07.19) Julia points out that the Tree Equity Score tool makes it visually apparent using maps that the lack of greenery in poorer communities is a national issue. Social and climate injustices (11.50) Neighbourhoods with the fewest residents of colour tend to have 3 times more tree canopy per person and are 3 degrees cooler. Areas with the lowest poverty rates have double the tree canopy per person and are 6 degrees cooler than areas with the highest poverty rates. Trees are the jack of all trades (14.29) Julia highlights that trees provide many different benefits to communities, including heat regulation, absorption of pollution and mental health. Baseline tree cover (22.18) Benita celebrates the 1.5 billion dollars of funding American Forests has unlocked in partnership with US Forests towards protection and maintenance of trees in urban communities to ensure tree equity. Broadening horizons (28.29) Benita talks about how a big part of their work is to involve local communities in the conversation on their local cultural context and needs. Planting and maintaining trees also creates employment in the communities. A human-centered approach to filling gaps in the urban forest (32.58) Julia explains that the Tree Equity Score is a free tool American Forests created as a prioritization system, which provides a score from 1 to 100 based on a combined measure of tree canopy and social and climate health. Breaking down the Tree Equity Score (35.15) Julia delineates the different parts of the Tree Equity Score - the tree canopy goal and the priority measure. Data is powerful to help change minds (40.58) Benita recalls that developing a rigorous tool was critical to move the cause of tree equity forward at a local governance level, just as it was to make the tool free and open. A holistic solution (47.31) The user guide accompanying the Tree Equity Score tool describes how to calculate the benefits of reaching different equity score targets. Coming together for tree equity (54.30) American Forests recently launched the Tree Equity Alliance to bring other national organizations together on the issues of urban greening and environmental justice. A sense of urgency (1.00.14) Benita expresses a sense of urgency to advance tree equity with local leaders and decision makers since “some communities are much more likely to be sick or die than other communities”. | |||
| #52-Fish At Risk with Mike Rodtka | 19 Dec 2018 | ||
Arctic Grayling and Bull Trout are two species of fish that are of special concern in Alberta. Both have had tough times recently due to human impacts on their environment. Poor water crossings, over fishing, climate change, and sedimentation has all had a degrading cumulative impact on population numbers. Both fish are native to the waters and can be conserved if proper steps are taken. Luckily, groups like the Alberta Conservation Association have people like Mike Rodtka, the fish loving angler and researcher, to take up the cause and help ensure this resource is on the landscape for future generations to enjoy. We had a great conversation around these beautiful fish. We discussed habitat, life cycle, how fun they are to catch, factors affecting population decline, societal values and a great deal more. | |||
| #51-Learning From The Landscape with Robert Bott | 05 Dec 2018 | ||
In the past, forest management was done with mainly wood fiber in mind.
Today we practice a much richer and dynamic approach to forest management.
By taking into consideration all forest values we can achieve a more
harmonious and truly sustainable system. Values such as soil and water
quality, wildlife habitat and conservation, wood fiber and socio-economic
impacts all play a role in the decision matrix that is sustainable forest
management. In the book “Learning From The Landscape” Robert Bott and
Robert Udell have described the making of such a system of management. The
book describes the establishment of “model” forests in which we today
design our forest management plans. These forests where meant to be a place
where research could take place in order to inform best practices. Robert
Bott and myself discussed the book and its many topics. | |||
| #50-Fire In The Eucalypts with Harold Larson and Jordan Sykes | 21 Nov 2018 | ||
February 7, 2009 is known in Australia as Black Saturday. Close to 400 wildfires started that day, 173 people died and many homes and communities were lost. Preceding these fires was an unprecedented 8 year drought that created one of the most volatile and dangerous wildfire situations on record. Harold Larson is a Canadian wildland firefighter that was working his first summer in Australia when the fires happened. In his book “Fire In The Eucalypts” he describes everything from his arrival, training, fire fighting techniques and tactics, the climatic situation, the relationships he built, and his narrow escape from death on Black Saturday. We discussed his book and how we might learn from those fires. | |||
| #49-Permaculture with Kurtis Ewanchuck | 07 Nov 2018 | ||
We all live in a world with finite resources. With a growing population, we need to start being more resourceful and efficient. There is strain on both the agricultural and energy systems to keep up with demand in a sustainable way. We, as individuals, can help relieve that strain by being responsible for our own consumption, or at least a small part of it. Whether you have a garden, collect your own water, or create your own energy, every little bit of pressure we take off helps to improve our lives and our planet. Permaculture is a means by which to live sustainably and to be responsible for your own piece of the pie. Kurtis has made it his goal to help people by teaching or helping others make their own property more sustainable. | |||
| #48-Environmental History with Liza Piper | 26 Oct 2018 | ||
The importance of understanding where we have been so we do not make the same mistakes twice can not be understated. Understanding the role resources like coal and fossil fuels played in our societies development and prosperity help us to comprehend where we would be without them, likely burning whale fat in our lamps and heating ourselves with wood stoves riding horses and spending most of our time trying to feed ourselves. At the same time we see the consequences of our decisions through changing climates, decreases in biodiversity and historical photos that depict where a mountain once stood but now there is only a mine. History forces us to recognize the impacts of our decisions. Liza is a professor at the University of Alberta where she teaches environmental history. Topics discussed: history of coal in Canada, the year without a summer, reclamation, the Mountain Legacy Project, missing mountains, national parks, environmental consciousness, pipelines, multiple use values, never cry wolf. | |||
| #47-Wood Waste Recycling with Jim Donaldson | 17 Oct 2018 | ||
What happens to wood after it has served its purpose. Construction and demolition material, sawdust, wood chips, pallets, old furniture, harvest residues, all gets either thrown into a landfill or burned. Wood waste is a resource just like anything else and we can utilize that resource to create a number of products that can assist in climate change mitigation and increase sustainability. Wood waste can be used to create ethanol, biochar, wood pellets, it can be re-purposed like barn wood and put back into our homes, or even broken down into its component parts and re-engineered into a new wood product to be sold on the market. The potential exists to make a greener economy when it comes to wood waste, we just have to take the first steps. Jim Donaldson is one person trying to promote wood waste recycling in Canada. He is trying to build a community of like minded people and companies to build a sustainable wood-waste recycling industry that will be good for the environment and the economy, win-win.
https://cdnwoodwasterecycling.ca/ | |||
| #46-Wilderness Survival with Kelly Harlton | 27 Sep 2018 | ||
Stuck! Stranded in the bush with no radio or cell coverage. What do you do? Where to begin? Shelter? Fire? Food? Water? Kelly Harlton is an expert in bushcraft and primitive skills. He has been teaching himself, and others, all he can about the boreal forest and how to "survive" in it for decades. From fire and shelter building, water and food acquisition to how to make tools and clothes from your surroundings, he knows so much. On this episode we focused on the most important and basic survival skills. How to survive up to 72 hours in the bush, statistics say that is probably the longest you will have to wait. We focused on Fire, Water and Shelter. I cant wait to have him on again to talk in detail about finding food and an infinite number of other subjects. The knowledge is deep with this one. | |||
| #45-Hiking with David Wasserman | 12 Sep 2018 | ||
Millions of people every year take to the mountains and surrounding forest to take in our planets beautiful scenery, flora and fauna. These experiences often give people pause and allow us to rethink our place in this world. David is a longtime member and past Chair of the Alberta Hiking Association and was kind enough to come on and discuss hiking and what it has done for his life and how it could improve others. Topics discussed include: Nature appreciation, Yellowstone wolf introduction, Bear Jams, Alberta Hiking Association, ATVs in parks, Irresponsible users, Confluence visiting, Clearcuts, Wildfire, Trans Canada Trail, and much more. | |||
| #44-Second Life with Eric Jensen | 30 Aug 2018 | ||
What happens to the trees in your backyard after they are taken down? Do you know? Often the arborist will buck it up, turn into fire wood, chip it for other uses, but what about turning it into art? A lot of the wood in our cities is not looked at as a valued resource after it is removed. Eric from Relic Woodworks is one person trying to give those trees a "second life". He has a system in place to receive trees from private property and turn them into opportunity for artists, craftsmen and carpenters. He mills them into live edge wood for peoples appreciation. Using a solar kiln and small sawmill to fulfill his dream of allowing people to appreciate the beauty of wood. We talked about his beginnings and operation, appreciation of trees, beauty of live edge wood, fulfilling your dreams and following your passion, clearcuting, sustainable forest practices and much more. | |||
| #43-The Mountain Podcast with Rick Arthur and Sonia Voicescu | 14 Aug 2018 | ||
Recorded on the top of Mt.Solomon near Hinton, Alberta, Canada. We talked about the Mountain Legacy Project, a project that replicates photos taken nearly 100 years ago in order to do comparative analysis and learn from our past. Rick has a wealth of knowledge regarding historical resources and I just loved being able to talk to him and Sonia while looking over the rocky mountains. We discussed the importance indigenous burning, the need for fire, forest management, people as part of the landscape rather than a pest, the cyclical nature of the forest, forest succession, conservation, and a great deal more. This was my favorite podcast to record and the conversation was more than intriguing. Link to their awesome and work below.
http://mountainlegacy.ca/ | |||
| 141-The Paradigm Shift with Garry Merkel | 20 Sep 2023 | ||
How we value forests is changing, and our management strategy is often playing catch up. As a result, forest management in British Columbia is undergoing a paradigm shift. It is a values shift. A more holistic approach to managing forests that accounts for more than just the sustainability of trees. Old Growth was the lighting rod, ecosystem health is the goal. Garry Merkel came on to give us the run down how things area changing and why. Resources A New Future For Old Forests: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/stewardship/old-growth-forests/strategic-review-20200430.pdf Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA): https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/new-relationship/united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples Sponsors Quotes 08.32 - 08.55: “The forest is not the ecosystem; the forest is the product of the ecosystem. The ecosystem is the whole environment - all the species together, the relationships between those, the different water cycles, carbon cycles, sun, etc… that all result in conditions that can foster certain kinds of forests.” Takeaways A change is needed (04.48) Garry shares that people are unhappy with the way forests are managed unsustainably and with values compromised. Trees are not commodities (08.24) Garry explains that a forest that is burnt or blows over comes back as the same forest in an intact ecosystem. Co Governance (11.45) Garry and Al recommended that the BC Government build a strategy collaboratively with the Indigenous community to prioritise ecosystem health with consistent policies in a 3 zone framework. Preserving old growth (15.39) Garry suggests changing silviculture practices from clear cut to more natural disturbance type to maintain ecosystems and increase the targets for old growth. A big societal shift (20.50) Garry believes the shift to protecting old growth requires three big shifts - shifting to joint governance with Indigenous communities, shifting to inclusive, multi-sectoral regional based planning and decision making and shifting our entire mental framework from focusing on individual resources to focusing on ecosystems. Sustainability is the journey (26.20) Garry thinks this shift will be more sustainable even as it changes our economic relationships with the land. “Life is what happens when you are planning what to do” (39.57) Garry speaks about the challenges of implementing changes with COVID and the varied 200+ First Nations in BC. He is working on implementing the Forest Landscape Plan in BC. Preserving forest values (45.15) Garry laments that there are processes currently taking place that haven’t received consent from First Nations and that not all percentages of old growth protection have been met. “Moving at the speed of understanding and trust” (1.00.46) Garry observes that many industries are realizing the importance of a holistic approach to land management. Science and wisdom (1.10.12) Garry suggests each individual begin their own learning journey, communicate their vision with their local representatives and learn from Indigenous wisdom about land management. The paradigm shift (1.15.47) Garry explains, “A paradigm shift is simply a significant change in thought”, and action follows a paradigm shift. Living in harmony with nature (1.21.48) Garry shares how different countries have adopted different land management practices and how they are transforming their approaches. | |||
| #42-Urban Forests with Crispin Wood | 31 Jul 2018 | ||
Forests provide all kinds of value to our lives, from picturesque views, habitat for animals to the oxygen we breath and much more. Everyone can see the benefits of wild places and natural forests but we often negate the habitat in our back yards. Urban forests play a huge role in our day to day lives that we often don't appreciate. Cleaning the pollution from our air, reducing energy costs through insulating our neighborhoods, reducing the effects of wind and rain, and much more while simultaneously providing that warm and comfortable feeling we all associate with the presence of trees. Crispin is the Parks Manager and Urban Forester for the city of Edmonton. He came on to discuss the role of urban forests in our lives and provide some insight into their value. Cool link below to see the exact value of each tree in Edmonton, from energy savings, oxygen produced, carbon sequestered and much more.
https://www.opentreemap.org/edmonton/map/ | |||
| #41-Biofuels with Marty Luckert | 18 Jul 2018 | ||
My favorite lecturer, Marty Luckert a resource economics professor from the University of Alberta, came on to discuss the feasibility of biofuels in today's market. Ethanol is a fuel created from organic matter, we mix it into our gasoline and many other uses. If the organic matter being used is sustainable then the ethanol product can be considered carbon neutral as opposed to fossil fuels that releases excess carbon into the atmosphere. We may be able to harness the power of trees and other organic matter to create a more sustainable fuel, although there are still many questions around the economics and science of such a fuel. We discussed how ethanol is made, what it can be made from, how efficient it is, where it may play a role in the future, forest harvest residue vs dedicated ethanol plantations, true market value of fossil fuels, carbon tax, societal values, economic literacy, educating the public, differing values, and much more. | |||
| #40-Pelican Mountain Fire Research with Dave Schroeder and Dan Thompson | 12 Jul 2018 | ||
Wildfires seem to have become more of a problem for communities in recent years. With so many rural towns and municipalities surrounded by forest land destined to burn it has become apparent that Firesmart activities are needed to keep them safe. Firesmart is a management system that helps reduce wildfire risk. The pelican mountain project is a research site dedicated to testing wildfire activity through different types of vegetation management. Basically they are doing a bunch of different things to the landscape and setting it on fire to see what happens. From different mulching techniques, pruning and other methods they are building a baseline for us to understand the fuel types that are created after Firesmart vegetation management has taken place. We discussed Firesmart principals, Slave Lake and Fort McMurry fires, specifics around vegetation management for reducing fire behavior and risk, planting larch to reduce fire risk, fire risk in Jasper after pine beetle attack, First Nations involvement, and much more. | |||
| #39-Building Sustainably with Shafraaz Kaba | 04 Jul 2018 | ||
Imagine using building materials that require 10 times more energy and other resources to create in order to build your home. That's what we are doing when we use concrete, brick, steel and other metals. Wood is the simple answer to this problem. Wood is vastly more sustainable in every way than these other traditionally used products, and with new technology we are able to utilize wood in ways we couldn't in the past. This makes it easier and more reliable to build with wood then ever before. Shafraaz is an architect with experience building sustainable and net zero buildings. He came on to discuss the sustainability of wood and other products. We also got really into the specifics behind building a self sufficient home with solar, geo-thermal and other such sustainable energies in the last half of the podcast. | |||
| #38-A New Way Forward (Ecosystem Based Management) Part 2 with David Andison | 27 Jun 2018 | ||
People tend to find a cause they care about and stick to it to make sure it is represented. Often times at the detriment to adjacent and equally important causes, not out of hate but out of ignorance. Arguably the best approach for finding answers to big questions, like ecosystem management, is to see the WHOLE picture. Focus is good, it drives us, makes us better, but it can also make us blind. EBM is an idea where we come together as stakeholders and land users to manage the ecosystem as a whole and understand the impacts each action has on every value from water quality, habitat, carbon storage and economics. David is an Adjunct Professor with the UBC Forestry program as well as a consultant and head of the Healthy Landscapes Program for FRi Research. He came on to add to what Ed had to say last week. Everyone has an idea of what EBM is, so the more opinions you here the better you can understand it. | |||
| #37-A New Way Forward (Ecosystem Based Management) with Ed Grumbine | 21 Jun 2018 | ||
FRi Research put on a workshop to discuss ecosystem based management(EBM) with multiple stakeholders and land managers. This workshop came with a lot of great ideas and perhaps a new way of thinking about landscape management. EBM is a way of thinking about the entire ecological picture instead of focusing on individual aspects like timber, biodiversity, water, habitat, etc. EBM gets us to look at all the values and manage them simultaneously creating a more holistic and well balanced approach to ecological management. Ed Grumbine, currently the Land Programs Director for the Grand Canyon Trust, is also known as one of the founders of this way of thinking and he was kind enough to come speak with me about this concept. Thanks to FRi for putting this on and there is one more episode on this to come with David Andison next week. | |||
| #36-Chronic Wasting Disease with Catherine Cullingham | 13 Jun 2018 | ||
Imagine a disease that eats away at the neurons in your brain creating holes. This disease is fatal but will take years to kill you as your mind and body slowly waste away. By the way, its infectious and easily transmittable. That is CWD. It affects animals in the deer family, white-tail deer, mule deer, moose and elk. This degenerative disease was first discovered in a captive environment but is now found in wild populations of animals in much of the United States as well as Alberta and Saskatchewan. It can survive outside its host for years, making any place where infected animals live an infectious area even after the animals are long gone. It is truly a worrying situation and one that we need to try to understand and manage as much as possible. Catherine is a research scientist that has been monitoring and working on CWD in Alberta for many years. She came on to explain this disease, what it is, where it came from, how it spreads, and what we can do. | |||
| #35-Remote Sensing, Changing the Game with Guillermo Castilla and Rob Skakun | 07 Jun 2018 | ||
Links for the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) and on it you can find the National Burned Area Composite dataset (NBAC) for downloading end-of-season fire perimeters. Topics discussed: Definition of remote sensing, Earth Observation Satellites, Mapping wilderness fires, LiDAR, Measuring trees, Better Data=Better Management, Photogrammetry, Drone technology and its application, Artificial intelligence, Future of natural resource data. | |||
| #34(4)-Indigenous Culture and The Forest with Michael Gubbels | 31 May 2018 | ||
This is an old recording I did from last year. It was the 4th episode I ever did but I think it might be one of the most important ones. Michael is an indigenous policy coordinator for the government of Alberta and he came on to discuss indigenous history and culture. He spoke a lot to his own experience and about the trauma that these communities have faced in the past and how that affects forest management today. He was incredibly honest and truthful about his personal experiences and a very down to earth guy. This is my favorite episode ever. Thanks Mike | |||
| #33-Wood Works with Rory Koska | 25 May 2018 | ||
Wood is used to build our homes, create paper so we can right literature and history and build beautiful pieces of art and furniture that we cherish for its natural beauty, but we have barely scratched the surface of woods capacity. With new technology we can build taller, stronger, more fire resistant and more beautiful buildings. Vancouver now has a building 18 stories tall built from wood, and potential exists for us to go taller yet. These structures are not only functional and meet all safety standards but are absolutely gorgeous to behold. Nothing quite warms up a room like wood grain. In this episode I talked with Rory Koska from Wood-Works about the potential of wood buildings and why they are a better alternative in many cases to steel and concrete. Topics discussed include changing specs, cross laminated timber, glulam, laminated veneer lumber, fires resistance, how tall can we go, high density wood products, beauty of wood, sustainability of wood, and much more. | |||
| 140-Protecting Old Growth Trees with Greg Herringer | 16 Aug 2023 | ||
What better way to learn about Old Growth and Big Trees then to talk to a guy who thinks about nothing else!? Greg Herringer spends his work time finding big trees, talking about big trees and creating programs to protect big trees. He also spends his free time going on expeditions to find more big trees. This guy is THE Big Tree Guy! We try to answer the question, how do we protect big trees in a world that need wood fiber? Greg sees a path forward. Resources Special Tree Protection Regulation Quotes 33.20 - 33.25: “Too many people confuse hearing and listening as the same thing and they are entirely different.” Takeaways Personal and professional passions (04.24) Greg is a Forest Technologist at British Columbia Timber Sales. He is passionate about preserving large tree ecosystems and was part of the 80s-90s revolution to protect old growth on Vancouver Island. Tree tools (08.22) Greg explains the tools used to extract a sample from the trunk of the tree and extrapolate the findings to learn more about the age of the tree based on the visible growth rings. Planting by the rules (11.26) Greg had a decade-long career as a tree planter during which he began developing a curiosity for big trees. He feels positive about the special tree protection regulation the government has passed along with the BC old growth program to protect large trees from being harvested. A sustainable and holistic approach (16.15) Based on his work with many universities, Greg believes a fundamental shift is coming in how harvesting forests is viewed by the new generation of forest professionals, including forging partnerships with First Nations. A century is a blip for a tree, but a lifespan for humans (19.28) Greg shares people's reactions on his tours of old-growth forests. He encourages people to slow down and “experience the old-growth forest as it should be”, including exploring forest bathing. The human side of forestry (31.20) Developing personal relations with others is the most important skill in forestry, according to Greg. Understanding what the public wants the forests to be will help guide forest restoration practices for the future. “The forest isn’t static” (35.19) Greg discusses the terms of the special tree protection regulation, sharing that the required buffer area around a tree was a compromise between the industry and the ENGOs. He lists examples of some old-growth trees that are still evolving. Wanted dead or alive (39.35) Greg points out that the tree protection regulation does not differentiate between live and dead trees because of the value of standing dead trees to wildlife habitat. What nature really is (42.43) Greg recounts his trip to Vernon Bay to discover giant trees between 800 and 2200 years old. When we all come together (01.07.30) BC Timber Sales has developed a voluntary program in conjunction with Western Forest Products to target the most valuable commercial species for protection. Stand up for what you believe in (1.17.42) By following the special tree protection regulations, Greg feels good about acting in line with his morals and ethics. Land back (1.34.10) A large portion of the land will be returned to the stewardship of the First Nations to manage according to their traditions and intergenerational expertise. | |||
| #32-Backcountry Hunters and Anglers with Tom Habib | 18 May 2018 | ||
Hunting and fishing are seen by many people to be barbaric activities that no ethical person would do, or even more misguided, they think it is mindless and easy. People see the depictions of hunters as middle aged men riding around in a pickup truck drinking beer and shooting everything in sight for the pure joy of the kill. I promise you this could not be further from the truth. Hunting and fishing takes years to understand and master and requires infinite patience and skill to do right. It changes the way you think about food, and your connection with it. You see the full journey from hoof to plate and you appreciate everything that went into getting that meat to your families table. You will never throw out an once of anything you have harvested yourself. I would argue hunters and anglers are more attached and thankful for their food then any non-hunter/angler. Tom Habib came on to discuss the role of hunting and fishing in our society and why it is important. The BHA is a non-profit organization trying to get more people out into the wild. They are also trying to ensure the wild is there to enjoy for future generations.
Topics discussed include, Chronic Wasting Disease, ethics of hunting, connection to the land, requirements of good hunting and fishing, how to begin, issues facing the BHA, much more. | |||
| #31-Where We Have Been and Where We Are Headed with Terry Kristoff | 09 May 2018 | ||
| #30-Invasive Fish with Britt Schmidt | 30 Apr 2018 | ||
Carp fact Sheet : http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/invasive-species/aquatic-invasive-species/documents/AIS-Quickfacts-PrussianCarp-May2015.pdf Some interesting facts around fishing in Alberta relative to other provinces for some perspective on why fish capture limits are so low. Ontario has 250,000 fish-bearing | |||
| #29-Bighorn Backcountry with Chris Smith | 22 Apr 2018 | ||
A few notes that Chris wished me to add post recording regarding some facts that we straightened out. CPAWS was founded in 1963 Forest Management Unit R11 is managed by the Province not Clearwater County The North Saskatchewan Glacier is in Banff Natioanl Park The Ram River Coal Mine is a surface mine The Regional Advisory Council has 27 members And the RAC was released for comment on March 7th. Also, he gave more detail regarding the specific breakdown of how the PLUZ’s where created because we didn’t give full detail while recording. Just know that it was more complicated then we discussed. | |||
| #28-Mountain Pine Beetle with Nadir Erbilgin | 28 Mar 2018 | ||
Mountain Pine Beetle has done a number on North American forests in the last decade. These tiny little insects carry a fungus that can choke out a full grown tree. With a terrifying reproduction rate and warmer winters these dirty little buggers have the potential to decimate our pine forests. Nadir Erbilgin came on to discuss these creatures and the risk. | |||
| #27-Women In Forestry (The Next Generation) with Danielle Kjosness | 20 Mar 2018 | ||
Women in forestry is a topic not widely discussed. In the past forestry was typically a male dominated industry. Luckily that seems to be less and less true with every passing year. With more women enrolling in forestry and environmental sciences programs now then seemingly ever before, hopefully we are approaching a semblance of equality. Danielle came on to discuss her experience going to school and starting work as a forester in recent years. | |||
| #26-Women In Forestry (The Veteran) with Bev Wilson | 16 Mar 2018 | ||
Women have not always been traditionally found in forest careers. Luckily that has changed and we are seeing more women in forestry and environmental sciences than ever before. Bev Wilson has nearly 40 years of experience in the forest sector and was able to speak to a lot of the changes she has seen and experienced over the years. With a Career as a Senior Resource Analyst for the province of Alberta she is very excited about how good data can help us be better stewards. We talked about how she got her start, some of the challenges along the way, her passion for forest resource data and geographic information systems(GIS), and much more. | |||
| #25-Trees Do It Too with Barb Thomas | 09 Mar 2018 | ||
Genetics is a topic that is widely misunderstood. Fear of creating non-natural, GMO organisms has people turned off of the topic. Forest Genetics is one of these misunderstood subjects. We talked seed zones, selective breeding, progeny sites, ethics of putting genetically altered trees on the land, climate change and how we can plan for it and a great deal more. | |||
| #24-FIRESTORM with Edward Struzik | 27 Feb 2018 | ||
Climate change, Chernobyl, asbestos, drought, fire. What do all these things have in common, they are all concerns that wildfire scientists and managers are keeping an eye on. Edward discuses these concerns in great detail in his book FIRESTORM, and he was kind enough to join me on the podcast to discuss it. | |||
| #23-Forest Fire Research with Ellen Whitman and Dan Thompson | 15 Feb 2018 | ||
Fire is both a destructive and rejuvenating force in the Boreal forest. It can consume vast areas of vegetation while, at the same time, making room and creating habitat for new growth. In this episode we discuss some of the research being done by Ellen and Dan in relation to forest fires. We discuss the Fire Weather Index and its variables, Fort McMurray and Slave Lake wildfires, burn severity, new growth and much more. | |||
| 139-Big Ol' Trees with Amanda Lewis | 20 Jul 2023 | ||
Who doesn’t love Big Old Trees!? “You would have to be some kind of monster!” That pretty much sums up the episode. Author Amanda Lewis shares her journey around her book Tracking Giants-Big Trees, Tiny Triumphs, and Misadventures in the Forest. Amanda brought a breath of fresh air into the way I think about big trees. Her fun nature and transparent writing style make for a great dialogue and an even better read! Resources Tracking Giants by Amanda Lewis Sponsors Quotes 48.03 - 48.07: “That’s the thing about trees - once you stop looking for them, they start to reveal themselves.” Takeaways When the forest calls (05.09) Amanda went to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver but had to move to Toronto to pursue a career in publishing. She returned 8.5 years later to the forests of her childhood, burnt out from a difficult career and shaken from the big life change. We are the champions (08.05) Amanda‘s friend introduced her to a book called Big Lonely Doug, which spoke about a Douglas fir tree included on the BC Big Tree Registry. She decided to start a blog called Tracking Giants which would record her travels to all the champion trees. The most difficult and the most rewarding (11.10) The BC Big Tree Registry, created by Randy Stoltmann, is an online database of native trees where they are assigned tree scores based on their dimensions. Big tree registries originated in Maryland to catalogue what was left of the big trees after logging. Obelisk in the desert (19.53) Amanda points out that trees change across a landscape and a digitized registry allows for updates to reflect the changing state of trees. She muses that the reason big trees draw people in is that “they represent that deeper time and that slower way of being”. Missing the forest for the trees (28.30) Amanda likes to look at metrics of appreciating trees that are beyond numbers. Since Indigenous peoples knew of the trees since time immemorial, younger tree trackers are choosing not to name them. Approaches to conservation (36.02) Amanda highlights that Indigenous peoples refer to trees as family members. She laments that polarized perspectives on working in the forest are untrue and that they show that you can both love and harvest trees. “To find the tree, you must become the tree” (45.38) Amanda shares about the opportunity for anyone to be a ‘community scientist’ in what is a very democratic registry by nominating any big tree they come across. What a tree can be (57.56) With time, trees can become big and rare and it is a “tragedy of forestry on the coast” that many trees have been logged, leaving no chance of an old-growth forest. An epidemic of loneliness and technology (1.07.00) Amanda invites listeners to think about the decisions that can be made in the present to be able to look back without regret in the future. Children of the same soil (1.14.20) Amanda feels centered thinking of herself as part of the same world as trees with rich stories, and believes there is hope to rewrite the narratives of our relationships with them. | |||
| #22-Why Forestry with Derrick Kreger-Smith and Tony Wieranga | 08 Feb 2018 | ||
WARNING, do not go looking for factual information in this episode. Three Foresters sit down to discuss why they got into forestry and shoot the bull for over an hour. Tony is the owner of Damaged Timber Apparel and he also discussed his vision with his company and how it is giving back to the environmental community. | |||
| #21-Biodiversity and Forest Management with Ellen Macdonald | 24 Jan 2018 | ||
The maintenance of biodiversity is a crucial measurement in studying ecological balance and recovery post disturbance. From invertebrates, vascular plants, non-vascular plants, birds, small mammals, trees, the EMEND study has researched it all. Dr. Ellen Macdonald came on to discuss the immensity of this study and the opportunity and answers it may provide. Cutblocks are not the environmental devastation you may think they are. | |||
| #20-Climate Change and Canada's Forests with David Price | 18 Jan 2018 | ||
Discussion around how we know human activity has played a huge role in climate change. Details regarding increasing CO2 measurements in the atmosphere and its affect on temperature, precipitation, droughts, wildfire, natural subregions, seedzones, tree species migration, forest pests any much more. | |||
| #19-Forest Harvest and Regeneration with Vic Lieffers | 12 Jan 2018 | ||
Clearcuts, Monocrops, Deforestation, Environmental Damage. These are some of the descriptors one might find in popular culture concerning forest harvest. These are wildly misleading labels. Dr.Vic Lieffers has a lifetime of research on forest harvest and regeneration and he came on to help us all understand the truth about cutblocks and the regeneration process. | |||
| #18-The Forest is in Good Hands with Ryan Hee | 15 Dec 2017 | ||
Forest resources must be protected and managed using the best available science of the time. In order to hold forest practitioners to that commitment, and accountable to the public, a regulatory body was formed. The Association of Alberta Forest Management Professionals is a newly formed regulatory body made of two previously independent ones. Ryan and I discussed the importance of accountable forest management and how that accountability is upheld. | |||
| #17-Conservation with Todd Zimmerling | 29 Nov 2017 | ||
Conservation is the sustainability of all species and habitat over time. This means we have to manage our forest ecosystems to ensure everything remains as sustainable as possible, not only select charismatic species. The Alberta Conservation Association helps with that. They provide a wide range of conservation services that help keep our province's natural resources around for generations. | |||
| #16-Fire and Water with Francois-Nicolas Robinne | 22 Nov 2017 | ||
Climate change has begun to demonstrate its impact on our lives and our planet. One such impact is on wildfire activity. Longer seasons mean higher probability of catastrophic fires. These fires have a drastic effect on our water quality. As more frequent and larger fires occur, our water resources are put at risk. Francois and I discuss his research into this problem. | |||
| #15-Caribou Policy Pt2 with Tara Russell | 15 Nov 2017 | 01:10:41 | |
Caribou again... another perspective on the caribou range plan to complete your understanding, or at least enhance your understanding. Tara is from CPAWS and she has some insight into the plan that may help us grasp the issue. | |||
| #14-Caribou Policy Pt1 with Ray Hilts | 15 Nov 2017 | ||
Caribou management is a controversial subject and we need to make sure anything we do will work. Ray and I discuss where the current caribou range plan draft may fall short. | |||
| #13- Archaeology and Forest Management with Kurtis Blaikie-Birkigt | 09 Nov 2017 | 00:57:06 | |
The importance of historical resources can sometimes be forgotten. Kurtis and I discuss the importance of finding, recording and protecting archaeological finds before human disturbance takes place. | |||
| 138-Ukraine's Forest and Russia's War with Brian Milakovsky | 21 Jun 2023 | ||
I never thought I would have to talk about war as a forest disturbance. I was not prepared, nor did I have the experience or knowledge to provide any relevant feedback. This discussion really opened my eyes to the complexity and devastating nature of war as a disturbance. How even when the war is over the consequences will last generations. The ecology will be forever shifted, and the dangers of unexploded ordinances will haunt the people of Ukraine for decades to come. Resources Quotes 51.17 - 51.29: “The river makes forests possible; the river is a great place to set up a defensive line so… forests get disproportionately affected by the war because they are near the river.” Takeaways War and Fire (08.13) Brian informs that it is the Donbas region in Ukraine which is being “systematically” destroyed due to the war. However, forest fires have also caused damage in the past there, with a third of the pine forests being destroyed in 2020. A large country with fascinating forests (12.24) Some Ukrainian forests are free of Russian invaders but contaminated by unexploded ordinances, which complicates firefighting in the area. He believes Ukraine needs resources and support to tackle this problem. Natural and economic trauma (21.04) Brian describes how increased fires due to the war have transformed and fragmented Ukraine’s landscape. He narrates the history of colonization across this landscape and the impacts it had on the steppes and pine forests. Reforesting pines and afforesting sandy steppes (27.01) Brian narrates how pine was used to restore the landscapes under different regimes in Ukraine but that the Russian invasion is destroying the forests. He discusses the complications in fire management due to the varied thinning practices in the past. Fire in the Forest (36.17) Brian highlights the lack of trust towards foresters in Ukraine and Russia. Although there are long-standing regulations, the invasions have damaged the forests and made it a militarized zone. Restoring forests (42.37) Brian notes that even though much of the forest has burned, some has been salvaged by intuitive demining and intelligent resource management. However, commercial forest management has become extremely difficult due to shrapnel in logs. Firefighting in war-torn landscapes (50.10) Brian believes Ukraine would need many firefighting tanks to demine the UXO-contaminated landscape in phases. “Triage starts with forests in communities “ (58.10) Brian deliberates what forest restoration can look like in Ukraine. The way ahead (1.13.37) Brian believes that the way forward must be Ukraine-driven. How you can help (1.23.12) If you would like to contribute to Ukrainian foresters, you can visit Brian’s GoFundMe or reach out to him on Facebook. Brain encourages listeners to contribute to grassroots organizations in Ukraine since larger humanitarian organizations already receive significant funding. | |||
| #12-Q and A with Derrick Kreger-Smith | 26 Oct 2017 | 00:52:32 | |
Question and Answer time. Derrick has a list of questions he was asked through the internet a few years back and we go through them trying to give relevant answers. Questions from how do we decide what to cut, whether or not cutblocks are hard on the ecosystem, Pine Beetle, all the way to have we seen a bear shit in the woods. Good stuff. | |||
| #11-Caribou with Gilbert Proulx | 10 Oct 2017 | 01:28:10 | |
Caribou management is a touchy subject. Everyone has an opinion and no one knows for sure what the right thing to do is. Gilbert is a wildlife biologist with a lifetime of experience in studying many animals, including caribou. We go through the options of management around caribou and try to get to the bottom of it. | |||
| #10-Wood Technology with Dalibor Houdek | 10 Oct 2017 | 01:00:30 | |
Wood products seem to be the same as they were 100 years ago, lumber, paper, etc. Same old, same old. NOT TRUE! The wood engineering industry is alive and strong and has new and interesting innovations regularly. Dalibor schools me in the many different ways wood fiber can be utilized. | |||