Oh, Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus), how we love you (please love us back). A tree living out of its time that makes every effort to thwart attention and interaction, the Kentucky coffeetree may be the most curmudgeonly tree ever discussed on Completely Arbortrary. Learn about indigenous dice games, ecological anachronism, poisonous parts and scarification—this truly is a tree that hurts to know and must be hurt to grow.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

To conclude our miniseries on logging, we discuss sugi (Crytomeria japonica), a unique conifer that hails from the forests of Japan. In a nation spared by colonization, where tradition and modernity coexist, sugi and its growing and processing methods are emblematic of this non-dichotomous dynamic. Yakisugi (or burnt cedar) is a method of treating sugi wood by means of fire, creating a phoenix-like rise from the ashes, making the wood more impermeable, and more resistant to insects and decay. Then, we play Family Tree: Mario Edition!Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

What do you get when you treat trees like corn? A plantation, of course. And a whole lot of Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). A tree that grows stubby and wonky in its native range, the Monterey pine grows like a poster child for logging in New Zealand, where its stick-straight form makes it the tree of choice for an unthinkably large swath of logging land. But oh, that cone...Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

Welcome to Australia, land of strange plants. Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) is no exception! This superfluously hardwooded tree of the Darling Range of western Australia is home to many a marsupial, and sports an astronomically deep root system. But when it caught the attention of voracious European loggers for its striking wood, Jarrah's future turned irreversibly grim.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

Logging has seen a stark evolution since its origins. What started as a wildly dangerous and often deadly process done largely by hand is now a multibillion dollar industry fascilitated by manmade machines. Herein we meet our character, the Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) a ghost from the early days of American logging. In the first of a short series on logging, we hear the tragic tale of this scorned quintisential pine species and the lumber barons who ensured its demise.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

1000 years ago, Polynesians reached the islands of Hawaii. On their seaworthy canoes were only a handful of plant species, but among them was the divisively flavorful botanical wonderdrug known as noni (Morinda citrifolia). Known for its funky flavors and bredth of influence on traditional Hawaiian medicine, this pan-tropical trees knows how to grow just about anywhere a canoe can bring it. Learn all about noni and the much broader classification of 'fruit', this week on Completely Arbortrary.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

The devil went down to Georgia, where the Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) lives its days in peace and harmony. This record-breakingly long-lived tree found the perfect place to call home--the swamps of the Southeastern United States. There, it sheds stereotypes as well as it sheds its needles, growing with grace and beauty against the harsh and dreary landscapes in which it resides. This deciduous conifer is without a doubt and from top to bottom a unique species. Then, we play a new game all about puns: A Little Bit Puntree, A Little Bit Log and Soil.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

In this BONUS EPISODE from our Patreon (c. Treeson's Eatings 2022), we discuss three non-tree food plants we love eat during the holidays: vanilla, cranberries, and peppermint! While we take a breath after our SUCCESSION series, please enjoy this unlocked episode and learn a thing or two about some classic holiday foods.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

Late succession... the third and final act of a seemingly eternal stage play, and a self-perpetuating phase of the lifespan of a forest. The Yellow carabeen (Sloanea woollsii) dominates late succession in Australia. How and why is it so successful, and how does it set up generational success for its kind? In the final episode of our SUCCESSION series, we take a long look at the late stages of a forest, and discuss why it has the potential to go on forever. But nothing lasts.... Then, we put together our Board of Firectors at Crowson, Clapp, and Sons.Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Join the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our website Cover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/arbortrarypod/support

Weed tree? Or... the unsung hero of mid succession forests? The red alder (Alnus rubra) is our official representative from mid succession forests, and the lens through which we view this second phase, the early adulthood, of forest growth. There are no shortage of benefits this tree provides to its habitat, so does it deserve its bad reputation? On our way to late succession, we find shade intolerant plants dying away, making room for our first "real" trees. But the saplings of today are the successors of tomorrow...Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonJoin the Cone of the Month ClubSupport the show on PatreonFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-Vandals