27 episodes

As a daily weather forecast evaluates current atmospheric conditions and predicts if it’s likely to rain in the near future, Forestcast shows you what’s happening in the forests of the Northeast and Midwest, and where those forest ecosystems might be headed. From the forefront of forest research, the Northern Research Station invites you inside the largest forest research organization in the world — the USDA's Forest Service. In each episode, you’ll hear stories, interviews, and special in-depth anthologies of the science that's studying, questioning, and solving some of today's most compelling forest issues.

Forestcast USDA Forest Service

    • Science

As a daily weather forecast evaluates current atmospheric conditions and predicts if it’s likely to rain in the near future, Forestcast shows you what’s happening in the forests of the Northeast and Midwest, and where those forest ecosystems might be headed. From the forefront of forest research, the Northern Research Station invites you inside the largest forest research organization in the world — the USDA's Forest Service. In each episode, you’ll hear stories, interviews, and special in-depth anthologies of the science that's studying, questioning, and solving some of today's most compelling forest issues.

    Flying the Nuthatch Home

    Flying the Nuthatch Home

    Once spanning nearly 6 million acres in Missouri's Ozarks, the shortleaf pine and oak woodland ecosystem has dwindled to 100,000 acres today. Along with the loss of this habitat, a bird—the brown-headed nuthatch—disappeared as well. However, after decades of woodland restoration, the brown-headed nuthatch has returned to Missouri—by plane.
    Over two summers in 2020 and 2021, a team of scientists successfully captured and flew 102 birds from Arkansas to Missouri, marking the bird’s return to the state after being locally extinct since 1907. Weighing in at a mere one-third of an ounce, approximately the combined weight of a nickel and a quarter, the return of the brown-headed nuthatch is nevertheless a weighty event.
    Related Research:
    Effects of Pine-oak Woodland Restoration on Breeding Bird Densities in the Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands (2019) Site Occupancy of Brown-headed Nuthatches Varies with Habitat Restoration and Range-limit Context (2015) Resource Configuration and Abundance Affect Space use of a Cooperatively Breeding Resident Bird (2014) Scientists:
    Frank Thompson, Research Wildlife Biologist, Northern Research Station, Columbia, Missouri Jody Eberly, Wildlife Biologist/Fire Mgmt. Officer (Retired), Mark Twain National Forest, Rolla, Missouri Angelina Trombley, Wildlife Biologist, Mark Twain National Forest, Doniphan, Missouri We used the following recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: ML180391131 (Milton Hobbs, Georgia, USA), ML225986 (Bob McGuire, Florida, USA) & ML unknown (Andrew Spencer, Florida, USA)
    Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
    Want more information? Visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts
    Any questions? Connect with us on Twitter!

    • 44 min
    Women of Research: Our Sustainable Future with Cindi West

    Women of Research: Our Sustainable Future with Cindi West

    Cindi West has over 30 years of experience working across private industry, academia, and federal government in a variety of jobs to ensure sustainability of natural resources. In February 2021 she assumed the position of Director of the Northern Research Station and the Forest Products Lab.
    She has served in various leadership roles in the Forest Service, including as the Director of the Office of Sustainability & Climate Change, Associate Deputy Chief for R&D, Director for Resource Use Sciences, and Deputy Station Director for Pacific Northwest Research Station.
    Cindi holds a BS degree in Forestry Management, an MBA in Marketing and Management, and a PhD in Wood Science and Forest Products from Virginia Tech. As a research scientist, she published more than 60 papers and presented at more than 80 conferences on forest sector trade and industry development.
    Scientist:
    Cindi West, Station Director, Northern Research Station, Madison, Wisconsin If you're interested in hearing from more women in the Forest Service, visit the National Forest Service Library and their HerStory oral history project.
    Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
    Want more information? Visit us at www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/podcast/3/
    Any ideas or questions? Connect with us on Twitter!

    • 27 min
    Women of Research: Scientific & Ethical Integrity with Maggie Hardy

    Women of Research: Scientific & Ethical Integrity with Maggie Hardy

    Maggie Hardy is the program manager of the Rocky Mountain Research Station Forest and Woodland Ecosystems Program, a group of scientists that develops and delivers scientific knowledge and management tools for sustaining and restoring the health, biodiversity, productivity, and ecosystem processes of forest and woodland landscapes.
    Before joining the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Maggie served as Chief Regulatory Scientist and as an Executive Director with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. In these roles, Maggie managed areas of policy; regulation and budget; provided strategic stakeholder engagement; and led integrated learning and development initiatives. In previous federal government roles, including with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., Maggie held broad responsibilities for program implementation and regulatory assurance, as well as emergency response and preparedness. Her career has focused on incorporating research in drug discovery, bioterrorism agents, vector-borne diseases, and foodborne, waterborne, and environmental diseases.
    Related Research:
    Engaging Rural Australian Communities in National Science Week Helps Increase Visibility for Women Researchers (2017) Moving Beyond Metrics: A Primer for Hiring and Promoting a Diverse Workforce in Entomology and Other Natural Sciences (2017) Create Ethics Codes to Curb Sex Abuse (2014) Spider-Venom Peptides: Structure, Pharmacology, and Potential for Control of Insect Pests (2013) Scientist:
    Maggie Hardy, Forest & Woodland Ecosystems Program Manager, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, Arizona If you're interested in hearing from more women in the Forest Service, visit the National Forest Service Library and their HerStory oral history project.
    Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
    Want more information? Visit us at www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/podcast/3/
    Any ideas or questions? Connect with us on Twitter!

    • 35 min
    Women of Research: Changing the World Through Soil with Deb Page-Dumroese

    Women of Research: Changing the World Through Soil with Deb Page-Dumroese

    Research soil scientist Deb Page-Dumroese’s research interests center around maintaining soil productivity during and after land management activities.
    As site principal investigator for several North American Long-Term Soil Productivity Study plots, Deb is well-versed in the pre- and post-treatment sampling necessary to determine changes in above- and below-ground nutrient properties associated with harvesting, organic matter removal, and biochar additions. In partnership with the Missoula Technology Development Center (Keith Windell) and Dr. Nate Anderson (RMRS) she developed a biochar spreader to easily distribute biochar on forest sites.
    Related Research:
    Biochar Basics: An A-to-Z Guide to Biochar Production, Use, and Benefits (2022) Forest Management and Biochar for Continued Ecosystem Services (2022) Development and Use of a Commercial-Scale Biochar Spreader (2016) Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol: Volume II: Supplementary Methods, Statistics, and Data Collection (2009) Soil Physical Property Changes at the North American Long-Term Soil Productivity Study Sites: 1 and 5 Years After Compaction (2006) Scientist:
    Deb Page-Dumroese, Research Soil Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, Idaho If you're interested in hearing from more women in the Forest Service, visit the National Forest Service Library and their HerStory oral history project.
    Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
    Want more information? Visit us at www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/podcast/3/
    Any ideas or questions? Connect with us on Twitter!

    • 24 min
    Women of Research: A Life of Healthy Forests with Jenny Juzwik

    Women of Research: A Life of Healthy Forests with Jenny Juzwik

    Research plant pathologist, Jenny Juzwik, conducts studies on diseases of trees that impact forest health and productivity.
    Her career-long interest and passion has been the study of interactions among microorganisms and insects associated with disease occurrence and development. One particular focus has been on the insects responsible for transmission of the oak wilt fungus, Bretziella fagacearum. In 2014 she completed research that involved elucidation of the major biotic determinants of hickory decline and investigation of the role(s) putative pathogens play in the complex. In 2010, she initiated 13 years of investigations of bark and ambrosia beetles associated with eastern black walnut in the Midwestern states and their potential as carriers of the Thousand Cankers Disease fungus, Geosmithia morbida, as well as other pathogenic fungi that may cause symptoms similar to those of thousand cankers disease.
    Related Research:
    Oak Wilt StoryMap: A Regional View of Oak Wilt and its Management (2022) Matching Causes with Symptoms: Research Improves Diagnosis of Declining Eastern Black Walnut (2020) Ambrosia Beetles and Bark-Colonizing Weevils Carry Thousand Cankers Disease Fungus (2016) Scientist:
    Jenny Juzwik, Research Plant Pathologist, Northern Research Station, St, Paul, Minnesota If you're interested in hearing from more women in the Forest Service, visit the National Forest Service Library and their HerStory oral history project.
    Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
    Want more information? Visit us at www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/podcast/3/
    Any ideas or questions? Connect with us on Twitter!

    • 21 min
    Women of Research: The Nature of Stewardship with Lindsay Campbell

    Women of Research: The Nature of Stewardship with Lindsay Campbell

    Research social scientist, Lindsay Campbell, explores the dynamics of civic stewardship, environmental governance, and sustainability policymaking--with a particular emphasis on issues of social and environmental justice—all from New York City.
    She is a founding member of the New York City Urban Field Station, which was jointly created by the Northern Research Station and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Urban Field Station develops and applies adaptive management and science to improve human well-being and the environment in urban metropolitan areas. She creates transdisciplinary spaces of collaboration between land managers, scientists, artists, and other practitioners.
    Related Research:
    Stewardship Mapping with National Forests to Support Equitable, Inclusive Partnerships (2022) Activating Urban Environments as Social Infrastructure Through Civic Stewardship (2021) Building Adaptive Capacity Through Civic Environmental Stewardship: Responding to COVID-19 Alongside Compounding and Concurrent Crises (2021) Forest Service Research Evaluates Public Response to Transformed Landfill (2016) Scientist:
    Lindsay Campbell, Research Social Scientist, Northern Research Station, New York, New York If you're interested in hearing from more women in the Forest Service, visit the National Forest Service Library and their HerStory oral history project.
    Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
    Want more information? Visit us at www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/podcast/3/
    Any ideas or questions? Connect with us on Twitter!

    • 28 min

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