When most of us think about flood protection, we imagine storm drains or levees and dams. But what if the real answer is in the trees we plant, and where we choose to plant them?

On this episode of Good Nature, host Megan Leslie is joined by Donnie MacPhee, formerly of Canada's National Tree Seed Centre. He makes the case for the bur oak, a deep-rooted "super tree" built to withstand both floods and drought. Donnie and Megan talk seed shortages, Indigenous-led restoration partnerships and why protecting genetic diversity matters as much for trees as it does for endangered wildlife.

Plus, soil specialist Cathal Doherty gets on the orca phone with Megan to bust a myth about the dreary reputation of wetlands — with a little help from our friend Shrek.

WWF-Canada is helping to restore our forests by funding seed orchards across Canada. Learn more here: https://wwf.ca/seed-orchards/

Learn more about the National Tree Seed Centre: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/science-data/science-research/research-centres/national-tree-seed-centre

To stay up to date on what’s going on at WWF-Canada, sign up for Living Planet News: https://wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/

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