Weed tree? Or... the unsung hero of mid succession forests? The red alder (Alnus rubra) is our official representative from mid succession forests, and the lens through which we view this second phase, the early adulthood, of forest growth. There are no shortage of benefits this tree provides to its habitat, so does it deserve its bad reputation? On our way to late succession, we find shade intolerant plants dying away, making room for our first "real" trees. But the saplings of today are the successors of tomorrow...




Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson




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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

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Mid SUCCESSION (Red Alder)

Tree advocate Casey Clapp and his tree-curious friend Alex Crowson bring you a podcast about trees and other related topics. History, culture, art, religion, science... trees affect and are affected by everything. Join Casey and Alex on their silly and educational journey to prove it.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Comedy

Science

A tower of clouds in the forests of Chile, and the center of a dendrochronological scandal, the Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) is a monolithic beauty and officially the giant sequoia of the south.




Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Age of Deceit (Alerce)

What happens when good trees go bad? You get the laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), a suitable template oak with a bad habit. Living in the wild, this tree does its thing as well as it can, but this Midnight Cowboy wasn't cut out for the big city.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Good Trees Go Bad (Laurel Oak)

After living a life of stem for the last 7 weeks, we need a break! So this week, you get a bonus episode: what is a leaf? In this episode from 2021 we discuss what a leaf is, how they grow, and some defining characteristics. To coincide with this bonus episode, we are expanding our CONE CLUB to include our very first--you guessed it--LEAF! The Bur Oak leaf illustrated by Caylin Jayde. We hope you love it, and if you want to receive this illustration as a sticker next month and support the show, join the Cone Club over at arbortrarypod.supercast.com. See you next week!




This week's episode is sponsored by NordVPN - get started at nordvpn.com/TREES

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BONUS EPISODE: What is a Leaf?

A grass so interesting it earned a spot on Completely Arbortrary, giant dragon bamboo (Dendrocalamus sinicus) is a stunningly large species with no shortage of interesting quirks. But… is it a tree, or does it look on enviously. Listen now to the exciting conclusion of Seven Deadly Stems! Then, listen for a segment of Trail Snacks, where we eat something we’ve wanted to try for years.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Deadly Stems: ENVY (Giant Bamboo)

Pride, the downfall of many an ancient Greek hero, is the subject of today’s Deadly Stem. As is the Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra). How did this underwhelming tree become a regional icon?

Mid SUCCESSION (Red Alder)

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