S.7 Ep.3: The Old-Growth Project

S.7 Ep.3: The Old-Growth Project

Author: Wisconsin Forestry Center and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources March 1, 2026 Duration: 52:58
Many of us in forestry remember the spotted owl controversy of the 1980s — a pivotal moment that put old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest in the national spotlight. But what’s less often told is how that same moment sparked a wave of old-growth research here in the Lake States, launching more than three decades of work to better understand how old-growth northern hardwood forests differ from those we actively manage. In this episode of SilviCast, we sit down with Julia Burton, As...

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: 67

SilviCast
Podcast Episodes
S.5 Ep.8: Deer, Oh Deer! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:30
If you are a forest practitioner in the eastern forests of North America (and maybe elsewhere) at one time or another you have likely been frustrated by white-tailed deer. Browse impacts on forest vegetation are signific…
S.5 Ep.7: Tsuga Science [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:35
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 i…
S.5 Ep.6: Green, Red, Dead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:55
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…
S.5 Ep.5: An Old-New Idea: Cluster Planting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:04
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 observati…
S.5 Ep.4: Putting the B in BDq [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:06
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 silv…
S.5 Ep.3: Ash: A Lingering Hope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:21
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 even…
S.5 Ep.2: Digging into the Wood Wide Web [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:27
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, w…
S.5 Ep.1: Putting the Old in Old-Growth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:59
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…
S.4 Ep.11: The Art of Silviculture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:48
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 pr…
S.4 Ep.10: White Oak, Whiskey, and Wildlife [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:27
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 alm…