It’s an all too familiar scenario to foresters…a new pest is introduced into another part of the range and slowly works its way to a forest near you. So it goes with the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) that was introduced into eastern North America over 70 years ago. HWA has not yet arrived in Wisconsin, but can we learn from the research and field experience of our colleagues in the east? Are there silvicultural approaches that can be used to make hemlock trees and stands more resilient, along with other integrated pest management approaches? Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we discuss these approaches with Bud Mayfield, Research Entomologist with the USFS Southern Research Station and Robert Jetton, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

If foresters have a super-power, it might just be the power of observation. They notice change in the forest and correlate facts that would otherwise be isolated and missed. As a result, foresters have the unique ability to adapt and find management solutions in a changing environment. In this episode of SilviCast we will explore an example in Iowa of changing environmental conditions and the cumulative effects on white oak (Quercus alba), and one forester’s quest to find answers. Join our conversation with Iowa DNR Forester, Joe Herring, as we try to solve the mystery of the dying white oak trees.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

 It pays to be observant! Ogijewski, a forest scientist working in Russia in the early 1900s observed that oaks sometimes regenerated in small clusters where wild boars disturb the forest floor. From this simple observation he developed a reforestation method called cluster planting, the planting trees or seeds in tightly-spaced, small functional groups. The method caught on in Europe and is now practiced as a way to decrease planting costs and restore stand diversity. In this episode of SilviCast we explore the practice of cluster planting with Dr. Somidh Saha from the Institute of Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis in Karlsruhe, Germany. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

It’s not worth saying anything unless it’s worth taking a long time to say, to paraphrase Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings. And sometimes you need to play the long game if you’re a research forester too. Long-term silvicultural studies are surprisingly rare, but extremely valuable. That is why a recent paper on six decades of selection cutting results got our attention. The Cutting Methods Study is a long-term investigation of cutting systems in second-growth northern hardwood stands on the Argonne Experimental Forest in northern Wisconsin. Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we explore the somewhat surprising results with Christel Kern, Research Forester with the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Sometimes foresters in eastern North America may feel as if they are in a Lemony Snicket novel, with chestnut blight, spongy moth, Dutch elm disease, and emerald ash borer creating a continuing series of unfortunate events.  Emerald ash borer or EAB is one of the most recent invasive pests with the potential to eliminate an entire tree species. And foresters have many questions on how to manage EAB impacted stands and what they can do to help maintain ash trees as a component of our forests. On this episode of SilviCast we talk with two of North America's leading researchers working on EAB genetics and ecology, Kathleen Knight and Jennifer Koch of the USFS Northern Research Station in Delaware, Ohio.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

As foresters we spend a great deal of time looking up, to evaluate forest composition, structure and growth. The story below ground is equally as interesting however, with complex interactions between soils, nutrients, water, roots, and a host of other flora and fauna. As they say in Vegas, what happens below ground, stays below ground! Everything here is more difficult to study. This is particularly true about a class of organisms critical to trees, mycorrhizal fungi. We know that mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in allowing trees to uptake more nutrients and water. But does it go further than that? There have been a huge number of popular media stories talking about this subject, but what is the current state of the science?  And what do forester need to know about how these fungi impact tree growth, or how we impact mycorrhizal fungi through management? Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we explore this subject with Justine Karst, Associate Professor and mycologist with the University of Alberta, and Marty Kranabetter, Regional Soil Scientist with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests.​

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

No matter how you define it, old-growth forests are scarce as hen’s teeth in the eastern United States. More than 99% of our forests are second growth. While we can’t speed up time, we can speed up the development of old-growth characteristics through creative silviculture. Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we talk with Paul Catanzaro, Professor and State Extension Forester at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, about a range of silvicultural techniques to restore old-growth characteristics.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

The official Society of American Foresters' definition of silviculture describes it as both an art and science. Are foresters both artists and scientists? What role does creativity play when developing a silvicultural prescription or setting up a timber sale? In forestry school we learn the foundational sciences of silvics, forest ecology, soils, wildlife, and water. And through experience and time spent in the forest we learn how to best apply that science to particular stands and site conditions. Join us on this season 4 finale of SilviCast as we talk with Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Associate Professor of Silviculture at the University of Minnesota, about keeping the creativity in silviculture and the importance of being a life-long learner.​​ ​

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

If you're a whiskey enthusiast, you are probably aware of a lesser-known federal law that requires all bourbon (an American whiskey) to be aged in a “charred new oak container." And those containers or casks are made almost exclusively from white oak (Quercus alba). But white oak has been popular long before the recent rise in whiskey-sipping Gen Xers! It is simply hard to overstate the importance of this tree species to forest products, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem services. In fact, stakeholders from across eastern North America have joined forces to promote the long-term sustainability of white oak forests through the White Oak Initiative. In this episode of SilviCast, we talk​ with one of the White Oak Initiative founders, Dr. Jeff Stringer, chair of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Kentucky, about this critical tree species and the efforts to sustain it. ​

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Good silviculture is about using the best available science, along with the experience and local knowledge we accumulate in the field. What if we practiced forestry in an area for not only one lifetime, but for generations upon generations. Imagine the knowledge-base we could draw from to guide our silviculture! Indigenous peoples have been managing forest vegetation for various purposes for generations, accumulating a great understanding of how forest ecosystems work, sometimes referred to as Traditional Ecological Knowledge. On this episode of SilviCast we explore this topic by looking at silviculture on the Menominee Forest. The Menominee Tribe has managed this 230,000-acre forest in north-central Wisconsin for 160 years and it is one of the first examples of sustained yield forestry in North America.  Join us as we talk with are our long-time forestry partners on the Menominee Forest: Ron Waukau, Forest Manager; Tony Waupochick, Silviculturist; and Pat Gauthier, Harvest Prep Forester.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

They say if you want forest heterogeneity, just get a larger group of foresters to mark the stand. While it is true that not every forester marks the same, it is often challenging if we want to intentionally create spatial variability. Especially if we want to emulate spatial patterns that would be typical for a specific forest type and natural disturbance regime. The ICO method (which stands for individuals, clumps, and openings) is a stand-level tool developed in the western US to help foresters restore the patterns of individual trees, clumps, and openings commonly found in pine/mixed conifer forests shaped by frequent fire disturbance. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Sean Jeronimo, as we learn how this method is applied in the field and how it may be useful in a variety of forest types shaped by fire.​

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Foresters love a challenge! And one such challenge in eastern Northern America has always been northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis). A both ecologically and commercially valuable tree species that can be slow-growing, tricky to regenerate, and highly susceptible to deer browse. Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we introduce you to the Cedar Club, a passionate group of forest practitioners and researchers who have been tackling the cedar management question for the pat 23 years. Explore the challenges and opportunities to sustainable management of northern white-cedar.

Featured "Cedar Club" Guests: ​Dr. Laura Kenefic, Research Forester and Team Leader, USFS, Northern Research Station; Jean-Claude Ruel, Emeritus Silviculture Professor, Laval University; Charles Tardif, Vice President Manufacturing, Maibec; Dr. Olivier Villemaire-Côté​, Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée (ISFORT-UQO); and Victoria Hunter, Graduate Student, Michigan Technological University.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

It seems that every young forester may have heard the old adage “green side up" tossed at us half-jokingly while learning to plant our first tree seedlings, almost as if to say "don't overthink this one kid." As experienced foresters we soon learn that achieving tree planting success is a whole lot more complicated. There are critical variables from stock type to site preparation to planting technique. If the world is going to get the trillion tree initiative right, all of these variables must be addressed. And there may be no group of professionals who know these variables better than forest nursery managers.  Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we dig into the knowledge base of the Wisconsin DNR Reforestation Program staff.

Guests​: ​​Joe Vande Hey, Reforestation Team Leader and State Nursery Superintendent, Roger Bohringer, Assistant Manager for the Wilson State Nursery, and Jeremiah Auer, Regeneration Specialist

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

We all know that oak and fire go together like peanut butter and jelly. What we have been missing is the practical knowledge of where, when, and how to apply fire in oak ecosystems. There are few who have contributed more to this knowledge base than Dr. Patrick Brose from the US Forest Service's Northern Research Station. Dr. Brose's research has developed key silvicultural applications of fire to regenerate and sustain oak forests and woodlands. Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we talk with Dr. Brose about what he has learned over the past 25 years of studying oak and fire. Pull up a chair, you will not want to miss a word!

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Foresters have been warning landowners for years about the potentially damaging impacts of cows in their woods. So it is not surprising that we raise an eyebrow when conversations start about intentionally integrating livestock and forests. In this episode of SilviCast we explore the management practice known as silvopasture, or the intentional integration of trees, forage, and livestock. Join us as we discuss what silvopasture is and is not, with Rich Straight, Technology Transfer Leader at the U.S. Forest Service’s National Agroforestry Center.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Business is booming if you own a commercial sugar bush! As forest managers, this means more and more of us are hearing from landowners interested in starting or maintaining a sugar bush. Unfortunately, if you are like us, you did not learn about maple syrup in forestry school. This episode's guest, Mark Isselhardt, Extension Maple Specialist with the University of Vermont, helps us unpack the fundamentals of sap production, sugar bush management, and how the industry has changed in the 21st century.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the SilviCast website.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Trees have had to migrate for millennia due to changes in climate. However, the pace of climate change today is far greater than historical tree migration rates, and land use changes have created new barriers to species movement. This has foresters and land managers thinking about the need for human-assisted movement of tree seed or seedlings to ensure that forests remain well-adapted to climatic conditions, a concept referred to as forest-assisted migration. In this episode of SilviCast we explore this complex issue with Dr. Carrie Pike, forest regeneration specialist with the U.S. Forest Service Eastern Region. Dr. Pike brings in-depth knowledge of forest genetics, nurseries, and reforestation to help us consider practical and strategic approaches to assisted migration.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the episode webpage. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Eastern white pine is an iconic tree of cultural and historical importance to eastern North America. The “great pineries” in this corner of the world were heavily exploited during the 19th century for everything from ship masts to lumber that built growing cities. But white pine has been quietly making a recovery over the past 150 years, and with that recovery white pine silviculture has continued to evolve. Join us for a conversation with Dr. William Livingston from the University of Maine as we explore the health and management of this fascinating tree species.​​​​

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the episode webpage. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

One of the most interesting aspects of silviculture is that our understanding keeps growing. We look to old approaches, new research, and field practice to better manage our forests for a host of societal needs.  And perhaps there is no better place to look than how these forests function in the natural world – a natural models approach. This is the basis of ecological silviculture and the tools behind emulating natural disturbance. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Tony D’Amato from the University of Vermont and Dr. Brian Palik from the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station, and authors of Ecological Silviculture: Foundations and Applications.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Interfering vegetation, be it native or invasive, is a real headache for foresters.  Sometimes we wind up wishing for one more tool in the toolkit when none of the current ones seem to fit. Luckily, some foresters are innovating and exploring new options. Some are turning to the oldest tool we have: grazing. In this episode we explore the world of targeted goat grazing with Brooke Hushagen and Greg Haak of HaakHagen Goat Grazing LLC. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Remember the natural regeneration triangle? Natural regeneration needs a seed supply, an environment conducive to seed germination, and a suitable seedbed. But sometimes it's difficult to get the right seedbed, especially when natural disturbances such as fire are lacking. Luckily foresters have another tool at their disposal: mechanical scarification. In this episode we dig deep into the topic of mechanical scarification with insights from Douglas County (Wis.) forester Craig Golembiewski and Clark County (Wis.) forester John Wendorski.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Wildlife habitat is the primary goal for many forest landowners, and in particular forest bird habitat.  Silviculture treatments have great potential to provide quality habitat for birds if we know what to look for. Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we take a walk in the woods with Mike Demchik, Professor of Silviculture at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, while we discuss how to recognize the bird habitat elements that are missing in a woods and better integrate those elements into our silvicultural treatments.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

In this second episode of our two-part series on forest carbon, we explore ways to enhance carbon storage and sequestration through silviculture.  Whether it is through our choice of silvicultural system, how and when we employ intermediate treatments, or our tree retention practices, we will discuss how we can impact forest carbon and a host of other stand objectives.  Join us for this fascinating conversation with Todd Ontl and Luke Nave from the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science!

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

In forestry school we learned about photosynthesis; the process by which trees use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to form sugars and oxygen.  But most of us did not learn much about how to purposely manage forest carbon once it’s in the ecosystem.  In this two-part series on forest carbon, we will explore ways to enhance carbon storage and sequestration through our silviculture.  In today’s episode (Part 1) we talk with Alexandra Kosiba, Ph.D., the first state climate forester with the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation, to better understand the basics of forest carbon.

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.

Necessity is the mother of invention, even in silviculture.  Foresters in the eastern US often struggle with regenerating trees due to severe deer browse.  Yet mitigating solutions, like fencing and tree shelters, are costly and problematic.  What if you could use a resource that is abundant, on-site, and cheap to keep the deer out?  On this episode of SilviCast we explore the innovative strategy of "slash walls," or the use of logging residues to form deer barriers around regenerating stands.  Join us as we explore the ins and outs of slash walls with Peter Smallidge - New York State Extension Forester, Brett Chedzoy - Regional Extension Forester at Cornell, and Jason Hennes – Forest Ranger with the Wisconsin DNR. 

To earn CEU/CFE credits, learn more, or interact with SilviCast, visit the uwsp.edu/SilviCast.