SilviCast

A conversation with Dr. Susan Stout, Emeritus Research Forester and Project Leader at the USFS Northern Research Station, who has conducted applied silvicultural research in forests of the eastern United States for over 30 years.  One constant has run through Dr. Stout's research; collaboration between field managers and scientists holds the key to unlocking challenging problems and finding p...

Silviculture is important work!  Nobody has all the answers.  So that is why each month on SilviCast we try to bring you a diverse set of guests, from the perspective of researchers and field foresters.  Besides our guests, however, we receive great insights from you, the listeners.  Join us on this Season 2 finale as we find out what's on your mind and discuss some of the most intriguing que...

When it comes to climate change, we all have questions.  As foresters some of our most fundamental climate change questions deal with how trees will respond.  What species are projected to do well or not so well?  What species will find new habitat where I work?  How do I make informed management decisions in the face of change?  On this episode of SilviCast, we dig into one tool that helps with t...

For many of us, one of our first experiences handling a paint gun is while learning to tend a pine plantation.  It all seems very straight forward… thin from below, a little thin from above, hit the target BA and move on.  But sometimes it helps to step back and think about the forest products we are attempting to produce.  And one of the most valuable products in a pine plantation can be a utilit...

What is a forester to do when your soils are almost always dry and sandy and low in nutrients?  Skip the black walnut for sure and embrace the sand… or perhaps the pine barrens!  Pine barrens were once an expansive natural community is Wisconsin's northwest, northeast and central sands, but today occupy a limited area due to past management and changes in fire disturbance.  These savanna comm...

Forest practitioners and researchers recently “gathered” virtually for the Northern Hardwood Conference 2021 (NHC 2021), the first range-wide conference dedicated to northern hardwood forests in over 30 years.  In this special episode of SilviCast we hear from conference attendees themselves in a conference roundtable as they discuss challenges facing the sustainable management of northern hardwoo...

Lowland forests have always been a bit of a mystery to us foresters and silviculturists, at least here in the Lake States.  Disturbance regimes are not well understood, and effective silvicultural systems not well developed.  The swamps and floodplains can also be difficult places to actively manage when access is limited, and timber values are low.  But increasing research and management attentio...

What happened to the days when regenerating sugar maple was easy as falling off a log?  Unfortunately, foresters from across the range of northern hardwoods are frequently experiencing a dearth of well-established sugar maple seedlings, not to mention seedlings of other prized species such as yellow birch and basswood.  What is going on?  Is it deer, interfering vegetation, earthworms, our silvicu...

There may be nothing more satisfying than planting a tree.  Artificial regeneration of hardwoods in particular however can be a challenge.  Trees are lost due to everything from improper planting to interfering vegetation to deer browse.  How do foresters maximize their success at not only having trees survive, but at long-term establishment and growth?  In this episode of SilviCast we explore the...

A conversation with Ralph Nyland, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, who has conducted extensive applied research into even and uneven-aged silvicultural systems in northern hardwood forests for over 50 years.  In this episode of SilviCast we explore with Ralph the challenges of implementing uneven-aged systems like single-tree selection...

Silviculture is all about managing forest vegetation, but sometimes that vegetation does not want to be managed!  Whether that is controlling invasive shrubs like buckthorn, releasing seedlings from reed canary grass, or preventing the spread of garlic mustard, control over some "weeds" seems like an exercise in frustration.  Enter forestry herbicides: the sometimes maligned, confusing,...

Let's talk paper birch!  There are few tree species that have such a rich and diverse relationship with the inhabitants of North America, being prized for food, medicine, transportation, fuel, lumber, pulpwood, shelter, and aesthetic beauty.  Paper birch is an ecological opportunist, taking advantage of disturbances that expose mineral soil and allow its abundant, tiny seeds to take root.  St...

Foresters love terminology.  In fact, foresters have a long history coining detailed words to describe their forest management, dating back to Germany where many terms were developed to describe regional silvicultural systems and methods.  It's no wonder that as foresters we still come across silviculture terms that make us say "hmmm, what exactly does that mean."  Today we are goin...

Foresters often encounter stand trees that have been “degraded” by past land use practices, whether that is destructive cutting, over-grazing, invasive species, insects and disease, or other impactful disturbances.  How do foresters begin to manage these stands in a way that restores productivity and function?  What are some the silviculture techniques to consider in these highly variable forests...

On this episode, we discuss all things oak with Dan Dey, a research forester with the US Forest Service Northern Research Station.  Nationally, Dan is one of the leading voices in conversations surrounding oak.  In particular we delve into what we get wrong about oak regeneration and recruitment and what we could do better to secure a sustainable future for oak. Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we sit down to have a chat (virtually that is) with Jed Meunier, a research scientist with WDNR – Division of Forestry, to discuss how frequent low to moderate intensity fires shaped Wisconsin's mixed conifer forests in ways we never realized and how foresters today can learn lessons from these historic fire-dependent ecosystems to design silvicultural treatments that increase...

When it comes to regenerating a forest in eastern United States, most foresters know that deer browse will often be part of the equation.  But assessing the severity of browse and ultimately its impact on successful recruitment of trees is not always easy.  We continue our conversation with Dustin Bronson, a Research Plant Physiologist with the US Forest Service, Northern Research Station and Case...

Ensuring forests regenerate well following a harvest is a basic element of sustainable forestry and that is why good monitoring is so important.  In this episode we introduce a new natural regeneration monitoring method and program being implemented in Wisconsin, the Forest Regeneration Metric or FRM.  What is FRM, how can foresters use it effectively, and what do we hope to learn about regenerati...