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.

We all live in a world with finite resources. With a growing population, we need to start being more resourceful and efficient. There is strain on both the agricultural and energy systems to keep up with demand in a sustainable way. We, as individuals, can help relieve that strain by being responsible for our own consumption, or at least a small part of it. Whether you have a garden, collect your own water, or create your own energy, every little bit of pressure we take off helps to improve our lives and our planet. Permaculture is a means by which to live sustainably and to be responsible for your own piece of the pie. Kurtis has made it his goal to help people by teaching or helping others make their own property more sustainable.

The importance of understanding where we have been so we do not make the same mistakes twice can not be understated. Understanding the role resources like coal and fossil fuels played in our societies development and prosperity help us to comprehend where we would be without them, likely burning whale fat in our lamps and heating ourselves with wood stoves riding horses and spending most of our time trying to feed ourselves. At the same time we see the consequences of our decisions through changing climates, decreases in biodiversity and historical photos that depict where a mountain once stood but now there is only a mine. History forces us to recognize the impacts of our decisions. Liza is a professor at the University of Alberta where she teaches environmental history. Topics discussed: history of coal in Canada, the year without a summer, reclamation, the Mountain Legacy Project, missing mountains, national parks, environmental consciousness, pipelines, multiple use values, never cry wolf.

What happens to wood after it has served its purpose. Construction and demolition material, sawdust, wood chips, pallets, old furniture, harvest residues, all gets either thrown into a landfill or burned. Wood waste is a resource just like anything else and we can utilize that resource to create a number of products that can assist in climate change mitigation and increase sustainability. Wood waste can be used to create ethanol, biochar, wood pellets, it can be re-purposed like barn wood and put back into our homes, or even broken down into its component parts and re-engineered into a new wood product to be sold on the market. The potential exists to make a greener economy when it comes to wood waste, we just have to take the first steps. Jim Donaldson is one person trying to promote wood waste recycling in Canada. He is trying to build a community of like minded people and companies to build a sustainable wood-waste recycling industry that will be good for the environment and the economy, win-win.

https://cdnwoodwasterecycling.ca/

Stuck! Stranded in the bush with no radio or cell coverage. What do you do? Where to begin? Shelter? Fire? Food? Water? Kelly Harlton is an expert in bushcraft and primitive skills. He has been teaching himself, and others, all he can about the boreal forest and how to "survive" in it for decades. From fire and shelter building, water and food acquisition to how to make tools and clothes from your surroundings, he knows so much. On this episode we focused on the most important and basic survival skills. How to survive up to 72 hours in the bush, statistics say that is probably the longest you will have to wait. We focused on Fire, Water and Shelter. I cant wait to have him on again to talk in detail about finding food and an infinite number of other subjects. The knowledge is deep with this one.

Millions of people every year take to the mountains and surrounding forest to take in our planets beautiful scenery, flora and fauna. These experiences often give people pause and allow us to rethink our place in this world. David is a longtime member and past Chair of the Alberta Hiking Association and was kind enough to come on and discuss hiking and what it has done for his life and how it could improve others. Topics discussed include: Nature appreciation, Yellowstone wolf introduction, Bear Jams, Alberta Hiking Association, ATVs in parks, Irresponsible users, Confluence visiting, Clearcuts, Wildfire, Trans Canada Trail, and much more.

What happens to the trees in your backyard after they are taken down? Do you know? Often the arborist will buck it up, turn into fire wood, chip it for other uses, but what about turning it into art? A lot of the wood in our cities is not looked at as a valued resource after it is removed. Eric from Relic Woodworks is one person trying to give those trees a "second life". He has a system in place to receive trees from private property and turn them into opportunity for artists, craftsmen and carpenters. He mills them into live edge wood for peoples appreciation. Using a solar kiln and small sawmill to fulfill his dream of allowing people to appreciate the beauty of wood. We talked about his beginnings and operation, appreciation of trees, beauty of live edge wood, fulfilling your dreams and following your passion, clearcuting, sustainable forest practices and much more.

Recorded on the top of Mt.Solomon near Hinton, Alberta, Canada. We talked about the Mountain Legacy Project, a project that replicates photos taken nearly 100 years ago in order to do comparative analysis and learn from our past. Rick has a wealth of knowledge regarding historical resources and I just loved being able to talk to him and Sonia while looking over the rocky mountains. We discussed the importance indigenous burning, the need for fire, forest management, people as part of the landscape rather than a pest, the cyclical nature of the forest, forest succession, conservation, and a great deal more. This was my favorite podcast to record and the conversation was more than intriguing.  Link to their awesome and work below.

http://mountainlegacy.ca/

Forests provide all kinds of value to our lives, from picturesque views, habitat for animals to the oxygen we breath and much more. Everyone can see the benefits of wild places and natural forests but we often negate the habitat in our back yards. Urban forests play a huge role in our day to day lives that we often don't appreciate. Cleaning the pollution from our air, reducing energy costs through insulating our neighborhoods, reducing the effects of wind and rain, and much more while simultaneously providing that warm and comfortable feeling we all associate with the presence of trees. Crispin is the Parks Manager and Urban Forester for the city of Edmonton. He came on to discuss the role of urban forests in our lives and provide some insight into their value. Cool link below to see the exact value of each tree in Edmonton, from energy savings, oxygen produced, carbon sequestered and much more.

https://www.opentreemap.org/edmonton/map/

My favorite lecturer, Marty Luckert a resource economics professor from the University of Alberta, came on to discuss the feasibility of biofuels in today's market. Ethanol is a fuel created from organic matter, we mix it into our gasoline and many other uses. If the organic matter being used is sustainable then the ethanol product can be considered carbon neutral as opposed to fossil fuels that releases excess carbon into the atmosphere. We may be able to harness the power of trees and other organic matter to create a more sustainable fuel, although there are still many questions around the economics and science of such a fuel. We discussed how ethanol is made, what it can be made from, how efficient it is, where it may play a role in the future, forest harvest residue vs dedicated ethanol plantations, true market value of fossil fuels, carbon tax, societal values, economic literacy, educating the public, differing values, and much more.