The FBS Podcast

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we take a briefdeparture from our usual business topics to explore the inspiring life and forty-year forestry career of Ernest Wells Blue, a rural farm boy from Oneida County who rose to become one of New York's most effective conservation leaders. We trace Blue's operational journey through the lens of high agency, highlighting his quiet, practical inge...

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, listeners get an inside look at the flagship 6-Month Essentials Program of Study as applications officially open for the 2026–27 cohorts. Directed at mid-career rural and forest-sector business owners, theepisode discusses how this structured remote program helps working professionals transition from skilled technical experts to highly capable business decision-...

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we unpack the immediate financial and silvicultural shockwaves triggered by Finch Paper's sudden decision to halt roundwood purchases and cease pulp production. Forestry and timber procurementprofessionals from across the Northeast and beyond recently gathered remotely in a Forest Business School open forum to discuss the rapid market fallout, including $6-p...

Welcome to episode two of this special two-part series of the FBS Podcast, brought to you as part of The Forest Business School’s ongoing commitment to helping mid-career professionals in forestry and wood products navigate complex industry challenges. Prompted by the recent decision by Finch Paper to stop purchasing roundwood for its pulp operations, this episode explores how other practical, wor...

Welcome to episode one of a special two-part series of the FBS Podcast, where we break down Finch Paper's recent decision to halt local roundwood pulpwood purchases and what it signals about the continuing national loss of low-grade wood markets. Designed specifically for mid-career forestry and wood products professionals, this episode explores the real-world squeeze this market contraction p...

This podcast episode explores how two free independent web applications, FCO ( https://fco.forestenterprise.org/ ) and CARBINE ( https://carbine.forestenterprise.org/ ), are lowering the steep technical learning curve for foresters, landowners, and forest businesses seeking to answer practical forest carbon questions. The discussion details how FCO provides a clean, user-friendly doorway into broa...

In this episode, we break down the latest details onVermont's $31.7 million Agriculture and Timber Disaster Assistance Block Grant, designed to help working-lands businesses recover from the severe 2023 and 2024storms and flooding. With the application portal expected to open later in 2026, we discuss exactly who may be eligible—from timber owners to logging contractors—and how you can start g...

In this episode, we dive into SumBuck, a free and robust virtual training app that provides hands-on practice for hardwood log bucking and grading. Developed by Steve Bick of the Forest Business School, this innovative tool allows forestry professionals and students to practice cutting tree-length stems without the risk of wasting real wood or production time. We discuss how the app acts as a risk...

In this episode of the FBS podcast, we walk listenersthrough a revolutionary, step-by-step method to build a clean, professional one-page website with absolutely no coding required, no web developer, and zero monthly hosting fees. Tune in to discover how to effortlessly use Claude AI asyour digital architect to shape your raw business details into a functioning site, and learn how to securely host...

In this episode, we explore the critical transition fromfragmented, paper-based operations to integrated digital systems for forest-based small businesses like sawmills, logging crews, and firewood producers. We discuss how reliance on manual data entry and intuitive decision-making creates an "invisible system failure," leading to acumulative value leakage of up to 20-35% across procure...

In this episode of The FBS Podcast, we tackle the singlebiggest hurdle for owner-operators in forestry, sawmilling, and field services: how to scale your business without sacrificing the craftsmanship your reputation is built on. We explore the critical transition from being the "primary engine" of production to becoming the navigator, breakingdown why the belief that "no one does i...

In this episode of the FBS Podcast, we unpack the concept of a “psychopathic sense of urgency,” from a great article by Tim Denning. This is a mindset arguing that forest-based businesses fail not from a lack of capability, but because plans linger and decisions slide into the off-season. We explain why waiting for perfect information is a trap where opportunities rot, and how shifting from weekly...

In this episode of The FBS Podcast , we examine why well-designed forestry research so often struggles to show up in day-to-day decisions on the ground. Drawing from the January 2026 Forest Business School report Frictionless Forestry , the conversation explores what working foresters, loggers, and forest-economy professionals actually said about tools, formats, timing, and cognitive load—and why...

This FBS Podcast episode uses Washington’s 1776 crossing of the Delaware as a grounded, practical illustration of Critical Chain Project Management, focusing on how outcomes change when leaders design around constraints instead of relying on heroics. Set against collapsing morale, expiring enlistments, and severe time pressure, the episode explains how George Washington treated time as the binding...

In this episode, we explore how fintech platforms arerevolutionizing financial management in small businesses by replacing traditional, siloed brick-and-mortar banking with an integrated, software-driven ecosystem that acts as a virtual back office. Learn how forestry businesses can manage lump" income through automated tax buffering and leverage specialized "load-to-check" automati...

This episode is the full-length audio version of the book Wet Woods: Flux, Flex and Change in Our Forestry by Steve Bick. This audiobook is a year-end gift to our loyal listeners and is being put out in podcast form to make it easier to use this book in short courses on Climate Adaptation in Forest Operations. Listen close and you may well hear about someone you know.

This episode focuses on “Locking In”. The Forest BusinessSchool offers  an architecture for sustained advancement, built on five durable principles that form a clear blueprintfor Intentional Progress. The first tenet, Prioritization > Efficiency, requires focusing energy on the one critical task that truly moves the trajectory, actively refusing to optimize trivial work. Progress is secured by...

The episode explores George Mack’s powerful concept of High Agency, defining it as the characteristic of individuals who "do notaccept the constraints in front of them and instead find a way to get what they want", and who view the future as something to be shaped by human action. This capacity is built on a "tricycle" of distinct skills: clearthinking, bias to action, and disagreeability. The For...

This episode breaks down what “digital twins” mean for forest operations. We look at how running the woods is getting harder—more fragmented forests, more moving parts—and how a digital copy of your operation can help test plans, spot problems early, and make better decisions. The ideas we discuss are drawn from recent publications by colleagues in Québec.

In this episode, we’re spotlighting the Forest Business School Linchpin Program , a unique opportunity for professionals in forestry, wood products, and related working lands fields. Launching its Fall 2025 Session on October 16th, this free program—made possible by last-minute funding—is tailored for key employees, with past participants ranging from logging crews and natural resource agencies to...

This episode applies ten principles from Kevin Kelly'sbook,  Excellent Advice for Living , to small enterprises withinthe working lands sector, such as loggers, sawmills, and sugar bushes. The goal of this deep dive is to provide  apractical framework for strengthening profitability and resilience in these resource-based businesses by interpreting Kelly's general wisdom as concrete busines...

This episode of the FBS Podcast introduces Wet Woods:Flux, Flex & Change in Our Forestry by Steve Bick, a ground-level chronicle of how climate volatility, shifting markets, and regulatory pressures are reshaping the Northeast’s forest products supply chain. Drawing on decades of experience and many hours of interviews, the book weaves together the voices of loggers, landowners, sawmillers, an...

This episode offers fascinating insights into the life and groundbreaking business philosophy of Les Schwab. It reveals how Schwab, rising from poverty and a harsh early life in Oregon's lumber camps, developed an enduring work ethic and respect for honest labor. A true free thinker, he revolutionized the tire industry by pioneering a "supermarket" approach to sales and introducing o...

Join us for this episode as we delve into how working landsbusinesses can systematically attract new clients using the powerful AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) marketing model. We'll explore strategies to capture Attention by targeting landowners and sharing expert tips on socialmedia platforms. Learn how to spark interest build desire by showcasing success metrics, such as a "...

This episode describes an exciting opportunity to enroll inthe 6-Month FBS Essentials Program.  The Forest Business School's free 6-Month Essentials Program is specificallydesigned for mid-career working lands small business owners, key employees, and public agency staff who are eager to significantly enhance their operations,financial results, and personal growth. Through weekly remote meetin...