YourForest

By Matthew KristoffScience Natural Sciences Nature Earth Sciences

YourForest episodes

March 27, 2019 #59-Trumpeter Swan Conservation with Mark Heckbert
Wildlife conservation is often a sad story. We hear that some species has been pushed to the edge of extinction because of us, and our lack of foresight or empathy. Until recently, Trumpeter Swans were not very different. Through nearly a century of effort, cross border partnerships, intense research and passionate nature lovers, we were able to make a difference in this species’ future on the planet. Mark Heckbert has been leading this battle in Alberta for over a decade and has a true passion for his work. His understanding and appreciation for this amazing species makes him the perfect person to discuss their resurrection, from less then 100 swans to the many thousands that exist today. This is a true conservation success story that would not be possible without generations of hard work and dedication in, what seemed to be, insurmountable odds.
1 hr 29 min
March 13, 2019 #58-Understanding Science with Matthew Pyper
Humans are naturally curious beings. We want to know why, how and what is going on in the world around us. Science is the only tool we have to help us sort out the truth from the misconceptions. The scientific community is ruthless in its scrutiny and it will not ease up on any research that doesn’t hold up to logic. Science doesn’t care how you feel or what your bias’ may be, all logical fallacies are inevitably found out and exposed. Science leaves us with the truth as best we can measure and observe it using the technology of our time. The laws of nature are fixed, and our understanding of them is ever moving forward toward a complete comprehension. But only through science are such discoveries possible. Matthew Pyper came on to discuss the scientific method and how we might start to think about how we communicate science, and how we can bring more people into its understanding.
55 min
February 27, 2019 #57-Wilderness Food Foraging with Kelly Harlton
We buy so much of our food. As a result, we have next to no connection to what we put into our bodies. Where did it come from, how was it growing, what was next to it, what was the weather like, what did we have to go through to get it. The forest is a natural grocery store. We can forage leafy greens, berries, mushrooms, root vegetables, eat meat that we harvested ourselves and we know exactly where it all came from. There is now a story that goes with that food that makes you more connected to the landscape and more appreciative of the calories that will become your own body. Kelly came on to discuss all sorts of things we can forage from our forests.
Best two books for foraging food in western Canada according to Kelly:
Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen parkland by Johnson, Kershaw, MacKinnon and Pojar
Mushrooms of Western Canada by Helen M.E. Schwalkijk-Barendsen
1 hr 13 min
February 13, 2019 #56-Ecological Engineers with Bill Abercrombie
Only a select few species have the ability to manipulate their environment to make a suitable home. Humans are one such species, beavers are another. They are ecological engineers, meaning they build and create habitat for many species. They are a keystone species that creates unique opportunities for biodiversity on the landscape. They also tend to consume all the resources in an area until they are forced to move on, again, kinda like people. Not only are they ecologically important, but they are responsible for North America’s original economic prosperity. Beaver fur was one of the reasons for the expansion westward across North America. We owe this little creature a great deal, from habitat creation to our original economy. Bill Abercrombie came on to discuss the full range of their importance.
1 hr 24 min
January 30, 2019 #55-Birds with Patti Campsall and Richard Krikun
Imagine traveling from Canada to Argentina every year, and back again. Sounds kinda nice actually, only you need to travel using only the tools nature gave you. Even with wings this is a tremendous task. Wildlife biologist, Richard Krikun and the Executive Director of the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation (BCBC), Patti Campsall joined me to discuss the creatures that make that journey. We discussed the tool kit used to capture population numbers and the science behind it. How far do they travel, how long do they live, where do they live, how do we measure them, how do we catch them, how can we better manage the forest to maximize bird habitat, and much more.
http://www.lslbo.org/
1 hr 46 min
January 16, 2019 #54-Dedicated To The Fireline with Michelle Wigmore
When it comes to a career path, a lot of people, including myself, spend their lives following societal norms. We want more money, more prestige, more whatever. Michelle is in love with wildfire fighting, and she knows it. After a full career in wildfire management, she recognized that she was happier and more fulfilled when she was back on the front lines, where she had started her career. Now, she leads a 20 person unit crew stomping out flames all season long. The grit and adrenaline of the line just kept on calling her home. We discussed her career path, resistance, leadership techniques, building a cohesive team you can trust, and much more. This episode is not strictly based on environmental sciences, but it is relevant nonetheless.
1 hr 3 min
January 03, 2019 #53-Bowhunting with Brent Watson
There is no better way to connect with nature than to immerse oneself completely into the wilderness and unplug from the hustle of modern society. Arguably, one of the best ways to accomplish complete immersion is to take up bowhunting. Some of you may scoff at the notion of needing to kill something to connect, however, what other activity forces you to endure all that nature has to offer for days or even weeks on end while hiding one's existence from all other living creatures. Remaining completely still and quite for entire days, through the cold and wet with nothing but your thoughts and the wild to keep you company. Hunting allows you the opportunity to notice things about nature that go unnoticed by most everyone else. Brent Watson is a lifelong hunter and the President of the Alberta Bowhunters Association. He came on to discuss the importance of hunting in his life and to society, as well as the emotions that come with the experience.
1 hr 21 min
December 19, 2018 #52-Fish At Risk with Mike Rodtka
Arctic Grayling and Bull Trout are two species of fish that are of special concern in Alberta. Both have had tough times recently due to human impacts on their environment. Poor water crossings, over fishing, climate change, and sedimentation has all had a degrading cumulative impact on population numbers. Both fish are native to the waters and can be conserved if proper steps are taken. Luckily, groups like the Alberta Conservation Association have people like Mike Rodtka, the fish loving angler and researcher, to take up the cause and help ensure this resource is on the landscape for future generations to enjoy. We had a great conversation around these beautiful fish. We discussed habitat, life cycle, how fun they are to catch, factors affecting population decline, societal values and a great deal more.
1 hr 22 min
December 05, 2018 #51-Learning From The Landscape with Robert Bott
In the past, forest management was done with mainly wood fiber in mind.
Today we practice a much richer and dynamic approach to forest management.
By taking into consideration all forest values we can achieve a more
harmonious and truly sustainable system. Values such as soil and water
quality, wildlife habitat and conservation, wood fiber and socio-economic
impacts all play a role in the decision matrix that is sustainable forest
management. In the book “Learning From The Landscape” Robert Bott and
Robert Udell have described the making of such a system of management. The
book describes the establishment of “model” forests in which we today
design our forest management plans. These forests where meant to be a place
where research could take place in order to inform best practices. Robert
Bott and myself discussed the book and its many topics.
1 hr 16 min
November 21, 2018 #50-Fire In The Eucalypts with Harold Larson and Jordan Sykes
February 7, 2009 is known in Australia as Black Saturday. Close to 400 wildfires started that day, 173 people died and many homes and communities were lost. Preceding these fires was an unprecedented 8 year drought that created one of the most volatile and dangerous wildfire situations on record. Harold Larson is a Canadian wildland firefighter that was working his first summer in Australia when the fires happened. In his book “Fire In The Eucalypts” he describes everything from his arrival, training, fire fighting techniques and tactics, the climatic situation, the relationships he built, and his narrow escape from death on Black Saturday. We discussed his book and how we might learn from those fires.
1 hr 21 min

About YourForest

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This podcast exists to challenge our ideas of sustainability. Why do we do the things that we do? And how can we make sure that what we are doing is right? This show is an exercise in developing…