Conifer – My Favorite Trees

March 19, 2024

Episode 98: The Spruce Revisited

For quite some time now, I’ve been wanting to go back and re-record my Sitka Spruce episode and add more stories I’ve learned since living in Alaska. Simultaneously, you may have wondered why I’ve only covered one of the most loved evergreen conifer groups around the world once. To be honest, I have some issues with the Picea genus, but I suppose now is as good a time as any to air out some dirty laundry. Today, I’ll give the Spruce the credit it’s due and share those Sitka stories I’ve been holding back. But rest assured, you’ll find out how I really feel about these wintry northern giants.
Please send me questions to answer for my upcoming Q&A! Email me at treeguythomas@gmail.com or check out my socials below.
Check out some Tonkori sketches I mentioned in this episode (https://soundcloud.com/masahiro-bessho/sets/tonkori-sound-sketch)
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources:

https://wiggersfurniture.blogspot.com/2011/01/story-of-kiid-kiyaas-golden-spruce.html

https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Documents/ForestBenefits/SitkaSpruce.pdf

FROST HARDINESS AND DORMANCY IN CONIFERS by 1/ C. Glerum 1/

https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/history-spruce-beer

https://www.conifers.org/pi/Picea.php

https://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/media/atlas/Picea_abies.pdf

https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/files/25386.pdf

https://bonsai4me.com/speciesguides/picea-spruce-bonsai/

https://www.conifers.org/pi/Picea_jezoensis.php

https://soundcloud.com/masahiro-bessho/sets/tonkori-sound-sketch

https://www.visittrentino.info/en/articles/snow-and-nature/violin-s-forest

December 26, 2023December 26, 2023

Episode 92: The Fir

While there are many holidays that coincide with the Winter season, there are few that involve traditions I love so much as the Christmas Tree. And while there are many options for what kind of evergreen conifer to bring into your home and decorate with lights and baubles, the champion of them all is the Fir. What is it about this tree that makes it so well-loved at this time of year? I’ll explore this species’ relationship with the holiday, dive into why Russia ties a holiday tree to New Years instead, and provide some truly cursed Fir facts that’ll make you forget that this is a Christmas special. I warned you.

Tons of bonus content is available on my Patreon! (patreon.com/MyFavoriteTrees)
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources:

https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/abies/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6268138/

https://ncchristmastrees.com/fraser-fir-trees/

https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2021/12/christmas-trees-smell-good/

https://www.conifers.org/pi/Abies_procera.php

https://andrewcfox.wixsite.com/andrewcfox/post/totw-fir

https://andrewcfox.wixsite.com/andrewcfox/post/tree-of-the-week-the-trojan-horse

https://www.rbth.com/history/335727-charlotte-prussia-christmas-russia

https://www.new-east-archive.org/articles/show/9424/yolka-russia-new-year-tree-pagan-soviet-christmas

https://www.npr.org/2015/12/19/460186573/dont-call-it-a-christmas-tree-how-russias-yolka-survived-the-revolution

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/press-room/press-backgrounders/white-house-christmas-trees

https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/national-christmas-tree-history.htm

https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/blisters

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adsu.202200234

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023

Episode 73: The Scots Pine

This week, I’m revisiting the Celtic Ogham Tree Calendar–but completely out of season. The Scots Pine represents the day after the Winter Solstice in Celtic Faith and symbolizes a guidepost of what is ahead. I figured this symbolism and the stories associated with this tree are also appropriate for the Spring, as days are finally longer than nights and people are starting to get a bit more active with the warmer weather. What could looking into this evergreen’s past reveal to us about our own future?
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script editing and Social Media by Laurie Hilburn (https://lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://treesforlife.org.uk/about-us/narrative/

https://www.scottishforestrytrust.org.uk/userfiles/file/projects/p13-243%20inaugural%20rsfs%20annual%20lecture/scots%20pine.pdf

https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_sylvestris.php

https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/trees/scots-pine/scots-pine-mythology-and-folklore/

https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_1/pinus/sylvestris.htm

https://ireland-calling.com/celtic-mythology-scots-pine-tree/

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/finnish-trees-0016363

https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-march-of-the-pines/

https://pegsandtails.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/pine-2/

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022

Episode 66: The Yew

To cap off 2022, we are returning to the Celtic Ogham Tree Calendar to look at the representative of the Winter Solstice: the Yew. This evergreen’s toxicity has led it to carry heavy death symbolism and thus is used to mark the longest night and the end of the solar year. But its importance to humans is extensive beyond this time of year, with ancient evidence of tool use and modern application in medicine. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast. Join my brand new Patreon at patreon.com/myfavoritetrees!

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6344100/

https://www.conifers.org/ta/Taxus.php

https://www.conifers.org/ta/Taxaceae.php

https://www.iceman.it/en/equipment/

https://nhm.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10141/622351/Clacton%20Spear%202.pdf

https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/how-to-record/species-guides/yew/

http://www.ecoenchantments.co.uk/myogham_yewpage.html

https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/englishyew.asp

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/10/31/beneath-the-yew-trees-shade/

https://scotlands-yew-trees.org/history-culture-myth/yew-taxus-a-sensational-survivor/

http://bohemianbudgie.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-sacred-yew-of-yule.html

https://mountpisgaharboretum.org/learn/plant-list/taxus-brevifolia/

https://www.news-medical.net/health/Paclitaxel-Production.aspx

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/lmh/lmh32.pdf

November 29, 2022November 29, 2022

Episode 64: The Larch

As winter begins to take hold of the land, we often look to conifers that stay green all year round for comfort. Except, there’s one conifer that actually drops its needles in the fall! Learn about why the Larch breaks the mold and the importance far northern humans give this tree despite not being an evergreen. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources

https://highlandboundary.com/blogs/news/the-essence-of-larch

https://treespiritwisdom.com/tree-spirit-wisdom/larch-tree-symbolism/

https://www.botanicalmedicine.org/western-larch-new-uses-for-ancient-medicine/

https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2018/02/american-larch-stick-mud

https://www.labroots.com/trending/earth-and-the-environment/14719/northernmost-trees-earth-growing-faster

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/journey-northernmost-tree-alaska-180977862/

https://www.wondermondo.com/lukunsky-grove/

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ten_Books_on_Architecture/Book_II

https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/larch-cones-in-spring/

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/european-larch/

https://www.livescience.com/62404-shigir-idol-age-and-new-face.html

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022

Episode 59: The Douglas-Fir

The Douglas-Fir is one of the most iconic of the big trees that define the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its wood is premier for lumber use across the western United States and its extensive human influence is surrounded by culture and story. This episode dives into those stories as well as exploring why this tree is not actually a Fir as well as the backgrounds of the Scottish botanists that contributed to its modern name. Music is by Academy Garden–cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

May 3, 2022May 3, 2022

Episode 49: The Longleaf Pine

The Longleaf Pine is a tree that once covered great expanses of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal states of the US. But now, these trees only occupy 3% of their original native range. What made this tree so incredible and why did it almost disappear? Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://longleafalliance.org/what-is-longleaf/the-tree/life-stages/

https://longleafalliance.org/what-is-longleaf/the-tree/

https://www.americanforests.org/blog/history-of-the-longleaf-pine/

https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/lifestyle/2021/04/09/north-carolina-longleaf-pines-its-history-and-future/4825186001/

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-5023.pdf

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_015425.pdf

https://maritime.org/conf/conf-kaye-tar.htm

February 22, 2022February 22, 2022

Episode 44: Ranger’s Choice Medley (Limber Pine and Walking Palm)

This episode celebrates the birthdays of two park rangers who have inspired my own path as a ranger. To make both their dreams come true, we are talking about both the Limber Pine and the Walking Palm. These two are very different trees that tend to get less time in the spotlight compared to some of their relatives. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Tufts, Craig; Mathews, Daniel; et al. (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York: Sterling. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-4027-3875-3.

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/learn/nature/limber-pine.htm

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/can/alberta/nordegg/13764_whirlpoolpoint/

https://extension.usu.edu/rangeplants/shrubs-and-trees/LimberPine

https://www.nps.gov/gis/storymaps/cascade/v1/index.html?appid=cdf1e11268eb42f1bdb758725a7ebcb8

https://www.livescience.com/33663-walking-tree-socratea-exorrhiza.html

https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442007000300005

https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Socratea+exorrhiza

https://palms.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/v29n2p64-71.pdf

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1200702-2

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022

Episode 43: The Juniper

The Juniper is a tree that can be found from the highest peaks to the doctor’s office to the…bathtub? Medicine, food, gin, and more, these trees are incredibly useful but seem to hold surprisingly little symbolism throughout history. But they do come with some interesting superstition as well as a rant from me about what we call their cones! Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and Instragam @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/juniper

https://www.conifers.org/cu/Cupressaceae.php

https://www.conifers.org/cu/Juniperus.php

https://www.britannica.com/plant/juniper

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/misctracts/juniper.html

https://www.rxlist.com/cade/supplements.htm

https://www.natureinbottle.com/product/juniper_leaf_essential_oil

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4v5249w9

https://cindi-keller.com/norway/cladding-and-history/

https://amberfreda.com/history-juniper-healing-properties/

https://www.edinburghshogmanay.com/explore/view/a-guide-to-hogmanay-traditions

http://www.tairis.co.uk/practices/saining-juniper/

The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart pgs 169-173

https://www.crossbillgin.com/blog/scottish-juniper

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/modern-craft-cocktail-movement-got-its-start-during-prohibition-180971265/

November 2, 2021November 16, 2021

Episode 37: The Cedar of Lebanon

The Cedar of Lebanon is a symbol of national pride featured on its home country’s flag and in the oldest preserved human legends. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees.