Drive By Tree I.D.
Do you ever try to identify trees as you're driving down the road? How accurate can you be? My 4 year old son knows that I'm a fan of trees, so he'll ask me to name trees while we're driving through neighborhoods. It's a fun game, albeit a little dangerous if you get too distracted. Hard mode is doing it on the highway. Games aside, you guys have inspired me, and through me, my son to learn more about the trees in our area. Thank you, and keep on keeping on with your badass selves. Rich from Michigan
Trees that fix toxic soil?
Hiya fellas. I live in southeast Michigan. Not really Detroit, but vaguely that area. If you don't know much about Detroit, it's kind of famous for it's history in the auto industry. Now there are a lot of abandoned factories in the area. One of the reasons that these spaces aren't bring repurposed is because of the toxicity in the ground from decades of auto manufacturing. Is there a tree, or types of trees, that could be planted that would be able to thrive and help cleanse the soil? Love The Pod, you guys are bad motherfuckers! Rich from Michigan
Lenticels
Hi Alex and Casey, Could you say a few words about the role of lenticels in trees, namely bark tissue? It seems like some smooth-bark trees such as cherry have this anatomical structure, which is visible to the naked eye. What are the lenticels’ role, physiologically and to what internal anatomical structures to they link within the tree? Do fissure-bark trees have such structures, and if so where, or if not, why? Thank you.
Extending hazel lifespan
Hi Alex & Casey! I started forest school training a couple weeks ago, and I was taught that coppicing hazel extends its life from about 80 to over 100 years. Is this true, and why would this happen if there is a reduction in stored energy/use of energy for new growth? Thanks for being great as always! Katy
cotton tree
Hey guys! I hope you're well this lovely spring day. :) I have a tree idea for you. I saw this one when I was in Mexico a few years ago (visiting the ruins at Monte Alban), but I guess it is a tropical tree from Asia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombax_ceiba It is so unique and strange (at least to me) that a took about 12 pictures of it. Not sure how to send you pictures, but I'd love to if you're interested. Thanks so much for the podcast, by the way. You bring me a lot of joy and laughter --I started listening last summer and I'm *almost* caught up. I'll be sad when I run out of old episodes though <3 :) Laura, tree lover and plant ecology person
Bioinformatics course focused on trees
Hi Casey and Alex! I'm a data analyst and would like to learn more about working with tree data, particularly genomics. I was wondering if you could point me to a course or a book that you find awesome. I am already looked at a bunch of different online courses but a lot of them are mainly focused on humans/animals or crops etc. I love trees and would like to go full on trees with my data analysis work. Yours treely, Ansar
Re-wilding Resources?
Hi Casey and Alex! I’ve recently moved into a new place, and right outside my bay windows is a lovely hill with five big oak and maple trees…and some invasive shrubs and vines. My landlord said I could do some light landscaping, and I’m wondering what some resources I could use would be? I’m in Sonoma county, and very generally, am I looking at grassroots orgs, government programs, private companies? Mostly, I’d just like to do wildflower/native shrub planting. Thank you so much, y’all are still my favorite show and I can’t wait to get my new long-sleeve!
What other “invasive” trees are misunderstood?
Hey guys! Katie S here again (love you guys, i look forward to listening to each new episode every thursday, it’s the only thing that gets me through the week) The discussion on the black locust was so good and got me wondering - what other trees have been labeled as invasive but maybe are just misunderstood? Bonus unrelated question: what tree names/terms make for good names? so far my favorites are Juniper and Cypress but im open to ideas PS - any episode where you guys play a game and we get to hear alex sing is a treat, i LOVE hearing the songs
Petard etymology
Not a question, but I loved the game about medieval weapons, and the petard brought to mind an old saying: "hoist by his own petard"... Thought you might enjoy seeing the history of this saying! -Emily from NY https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard#:~:text=%22Hoist%20with%20his%20own%20petard,correct%20context%20of%20the%20phrase.
Tree(s) to plant in Bozeman, MT in prep for EAB's arrival
Hello Casey and Alex! Been an avid fan of the pod for a while now, and finally got to join the Cone Club as a Hannukah gift from my partner! Here is my question: I live in Bozeman, Montana, on a street lined with huge mature (century+ old) ash trees. I worry that if/when Emerald Ash Borer makes it here, all of the street trees will die. So just in case, I want to start planting other trees in my boulevard near the ash trees so that there can still be some beautiful trees (and the foliage, fall color, habitat, shade, etc that they provide). And I hope to encourage my neighbors to do the same! What trees would you recommend we plant? Thank you in advance! Finn
Tree destinations
Hello favorite podcast duo, I was listening to the recent episode on the banj tree and Casey mentioned that he knew of a couple in LA that he plans to see... and it got me wondering, how does he know?? How do you find out about where cool trees are, do you have any neat resources, and has Casey done a vacation around a tree(s)? I'm used to planning the destination first and then using things like iNaturalist to know what I may see there, but I haven't done the opposite. I think it'd be a fun way to plan trips! Anyways, just want to say you both make me so happy. Alex, you ask all the questions I have and make my favorite, witty comments. I love when you reflect on what you've learned and there is proud papa Casey, it's so heartwarming. Casey, you inspire me to read more and I think you're adorable. Also, Alex, we share a birthday! Happy belated birthday and remember, every four years the day is still about celebrating you and not some orange creeper or other fool. TTFN- Jessy
Do you keep track of your golden arboretum?
Hi hello! I've been listening to your podcast for a couple of years now, and I get so excited when a tree gets inducted and the melodica is played. My question is do you guys have a list of all of the trees you've added into the GA? And if so, are there any that you think are better than others, or ones you may regret adding in? I would love to hear you guys rank the golden trees now that there are quite a few. I love this show so much. When Alex comically said "consider supporting if you listen to this show more than you watch Netflix" I was like wow I unironically do which led to a subscription. All the best, Laura :)
conifer crash course?
Would you guys ever consider doing a series that summarizes the biggest categories of conifers (larches, firs, spruces, hemlocks and the like — are those all genuses?) for conif-aficianados out there like me? I love hearing the descriptions of how needles cones and bark are different across species of conifers, and it would be really cool to deep dive into those major categories in a more structured way. It is my dream to someday be able to look at a conifer or cone and guess its family, even if I’m not 100% sure what species it is.
Upcoming events
Hi! I am an arborist from Michigan and I am planning my first ever trip to the Pacific Northwest and would love to attend an event that you put on. Do you have any upcoming events this summer or fall? I’d love to attend something whether it’s a book signing, a tree walk, a seminar, or some treevia. I’d also love to know if you have any must see trees while I’m in town. Thanks! -Ashe
Octopus Tree! Didierea madagascariensis
Hi Guys! This tree didn't come up in search under questions or episodes. Have you ever heard of it? I had not until recently. I got a desktop calendar where you pull a new photo every day, and this one was in January, the day before Alex's birthday :) As soon as I saw it, I was intrigued and got some big monkey puzzle vibes; although the octopus tree is sprawling all over, its entire trunk and branches are covered in what appears to be leaves that resemble grass or spikes. When it's small, it looks like something I stepped on in a nightmare once. I'd love to learn more. Is this tree in the to-do list? Has it been on your radar?
Can roots grow bark? In one of your episodes you said trees have "four organs" - trunk/stems, roots, leaves, and reproductive parts. When you see bare roots around a tree, they often have a bark-like covering so I'm curious if they are made of the same type of tissue as the stems and if this tissue can grow bark. Thank you for this podcast - it changed me from tree curious to tree seeker!
Pollarding or just b.s
Sup dudes! Garrett from treevia team deodorables. Is pollarding a tree actually necessary? Or beneficial. From my understanding when I use to be a junior climber it was described as a " factory reset". And alex when is your first live show in Seattle? Wife and I would gladly be in th front row. Oh! Book recommendation, To Speak For The Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger
Tree news!
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-home/neighbor-disputes-reddit-clear-cutting/ This article had me wondering about exactly what to do if a neighbor damages my tree. Eco friendly gardens often are seen as unkempt. How do we fight these horrible acts of destruction legally and effectively to hopefully warn others from doing it in the future?
What happened to the genus Cornus??
Hi Casey and Alex! Long time listener, first time question-asker. I work at a native plant nursery and I was doing some research into dogwoods and Cornus sericea was being labeled as Swida sericea and Cornus florida was Benthamidia florida. Have the splitters come along and made things unnecessarily convoluted? Why did they do this to us?! Most importantly, can you give a rating of this new taxonomy from 1 to 10 golden cornels of honor? Thanks so much and happy new years!
Invasion or adaptation?
Invasion or adaptation? I might get some heat from this, but we all know when we label an invasive plant/tree it’s because its "not from here" meaning geographically it’s a plant from Asia that is now in the US and is now out competing the "native" wildlife. However, in the sense of "native" these invasives are actually “native” to the rising temps due to climate change. We as humans say they are invasive because we keep them in invisible boundaries that we call our countries around the world. However, nature knows no bounds and with human intervention. Plants and trees are able to spread and migrate across the world faster than ever before. My question is, how do you feel about the topic or labeling of invasive plants/trees even though they are just growing in their natural climate but are “invasive” to our boundaries? For example, the mimosa and tree of heaven are yes, terrible trees and invasive as well. But, to my point, they are invasive because “they aren’t from here” and are out competing the “native” wildlife, but the climate they are out competing native wildlife in is now becoming more habitable for them. Rather than for the native plants/trees that are already there. So, should we really be killing all these plants and trees for simply being ahead of the curve and adapting to the changing climate faster and better than us as humans ever will. Because we hate change and think we are the best thing on the planet, yet we, nature people, know that nature has been and always will be light years ahead of our knowledge and understanding of the world.