S.7 Ep.1: Morticulture

S.7 Ep.1: Morticulture

Author: Wisconsin Forestry Center and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources January 1, 2026 Duration: 1:03:25
A dead tree is not truly dead. As trees die, they become snags, downed logs, and eventually return to the soil as organic matter. Along this journey, they host a wide range of organisms and play essential roles in forest ecosystems. How foresters think about and manage dead trees can be just as important as how they manage living ones. In this episode of SilviCast, we explore the concept of morticulture - the intentional management of deadwood in forests. Join us for a conversation with Mark ...

Tune into SilviCast for a grounded conversation about the woods. This podcast, a collaboration between the Wisconsin Forestry Center and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, digs into the real-world details of silviculture-that blend of science, practical skill, and thoughtful art that shapes how we care for forests. Each episode is built around the voices of people who work among the trees, from field foresters and land managers to researchers developing new approaches. You’ll hear specific discussions about contemporary management dilemmas, from adapting to changing climates to implementing cutting-edge techniques that balance ecological health with practical goals. It’s designed for the rhythm of a natural resource professional’s life, whether you need some thoughtful background while at your desk or a companion for a long drive down a gravel road. The focus remains on applicable knowledge and the shared challenges of stewardship, offering listeners a direct line to the experiences and insights shaping forestry today. By focusing on these tangible stories and solutions, this podcast serves as an ongoing resource for anyone invested in the future of our landscapes.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

SilviCast
Podcast Episodes
S.6 Ep.9: River Trees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:19
Restoring and reforesting floodplain forests is no small feat—these ecosystems are as fascinating as they are complex. While they face many of the same disturbances as upland forests, bottomland ecosystems are uniquely s…
S.6 Ep.8: Bird's Eye View [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:19
Sometimes, a simple “silvicultural tweak” can make a big difference in achieving diverse forest management goals. The real challenge lies in knowing when—and how—to make those adjustments. To help with that, several stat…
S.6 Ep.7: Black Gold [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:28
Eastern black walnut holds an almost legendary reputation as one of the most valuable timber species in central and eastern North America. A single, high-quality tree can fetch thousands of dollars—sometimes even influen…
S.6 Ep.6: Landscape Change: Dynamic Forest Restoration Blocks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:16
Foresters are pretty good at stand-level silviculture. But what if we want to make changes to forest vegetation at a much larger scale? Silviculture at scale to impact landscape-level change is much trickier, whether tha…
S.6 Ep.5: To Treat, Or Not To Treat, That Is the Question [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:40
Garlic mustard blooms, panic ensues! Many foresters in the eastern hardwood forests of North America can appreciate this sentiment as they see yet another invasive plant, garlic mustard, colonize their woodlands and fore…
S.6 Ep.4: My Buckthorn Chia Pet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:58
Buckthorn has been the bane of many foresters and forest landowners throughout eastern North America. This long-lived, woody plant is capable of forming dense thickets, degrading native understory plant communities and i…
S.6 Ep.3: Line of Sight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:20
It’s hard to turn around these days without seeing or reading something about UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Drones are becoming an increasingly important tool in many fields, including within the practice of silvicul…
S.6 Ep.2: Toast Me Timbers! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:39
Foresters are increasingly aware of the importance of prescribed fire as a silvicultural tool in the maintenance and management of fire-adapted forest ecosystems. At the same time concerns remain over the impact of those…
S.6 Ep.1: Acadian Femelschlag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:17
German foresters sometimes named silvicultural systems after the region where the treatment was developed and practiced. So it is with the Acadian femelschlag, a locally developed gap-based system designed to restore spe…
S.5 Ep.12: Practical Wisdom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:45
Foresters need to make decisions every day, and sometimes difficult decisions as we attempt to understand and address the diverse needs of the land, the landowner, and others. Similar to marking a tree, these decisions o…