SilviCast

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S.7 Ep.10 - Growing Quality White Pine: Knot What You Think!

2026-10-0101:05:11

Eastern white pine is making a comeback, but as experienced field foresters know, much of this second-growth timber can be challenging from a quality standpoint. In this episode of SilviCast, we talk with Rene Germain, professor of forestry at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Sara Dreibelbis, Operations Director at Alliance for a Green Economy. They share insights from their research on assessing and managing eastern white pine, including practical approaches for improv...

S.7 Ep.9 - Plant the Seed

2026-09-0101:08:091

In this episode of SilviCast, we talk with regeneration experts Mike Reinikainen, Roger Bohringer, and Tom Hill about direct seeding—a challenging and often misunderstood approach to reforestation that establishes forests by planting seeds rather than seedlings. Direct seeding can be an economical and effective way to establish new forests, but success depends on getting the details right. We explore seed rates and timing, site preparation, planting depth, and the challenges of seed predation...

S.7 Ep.8: Rethinking Black Locust

2026-08-0342:13

Black locust doesn't have many fans among foresters in North America. It's often criticized for growing crooked, spreading aggressively, and producing poor-quality stems. But is the problem really the tree, or is it how we've been growing it? In this episode, Zsolt Keserű, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Plantation Forestry and Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Forest Research Institute, University of Sopron, shares how decades of European research and silvicultural innovation have mad...

S.7 Ep.7: Beaviculture

2026-07-0153:53

Beavers are often seen as a nuisance, but what if they're actually some of nature's most effective forest managers? In this episode of SilviCast, we welcome renowned ecohydrologist Dr. Emily Fairfax to explore the surprising role of beavers as ecosystem engineers. Learn how beaver-created wetlands improve water storage, reduce wildfire risk, enhance biodiversity, store carbon, and influence forest management. Dr. Fairfax highlights practical strategies for addressing challenging beaver activi...

S.7 Ep.6: The Fire Forest: Restoring the Long-leaf Pine

2026-06-0101:13:05

What tree begins life looking more like a tuft of grass, survives repeated fires for years on the forest floor, and then suddenly bolts toward the canopy in a remarkable growth spurt? The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is one of the most unique and ecologically important tree species in North America. Once dominating the coastal plains of the southeastern United States, longleaf pine forests have been reduced to less than 5% of their historic range. Yet these forests remain among the m...

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