YourForest
Episodes
The Final Chapter: Lessons Learned from YourForest
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Your Forest, Matthew Kristoff reflects on his nearly decade-long journey of podcasting and shares key takeaways from the most memor...
167 - Building Canadian Wildfire Culture with Kelsey Winter, Shelagh Pyper and Garnet Mierau
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Matthew Kristoff discusses the launch of the Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada (WRCC) with leaders Shelagh Pyper, Kelsey Winter, and Garne...
166 - Decolonizing Land Stewardship with Dr. Jennifer Grenz
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff and Dr. Jennifer Grenz discuss the necessity of decolonizing land management by being "rooted in truth...
165 - Forest Finance: How Private Capital Can Transform Sustainable Forestry with Shauna Matkovich
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff and guest Shauna Matcovich explore the world of forest finance and the critical role of private capita...
164 - Rethinking Forestry: Bold Ideas for a Sustainable Future with Gary Bull
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff discusses the future of forestry with Dr. Gary Bull, a leading expert in forestry economics, policy, a...
163-Breaking the Silence: Workplace Culture Challenges and Change in Forestry with Kelly Cooper & Greg Herringer
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of YourForest Podcast, host Matthew Kristoff is joined by Kelly Cooper, founder of the Free to Grow in Forestry initiative, and Greg H...
162-Intentional Fire-Shifting Society’s Relationship with Wildfire w/ Marissa Christansen & Chris Anthony
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This YourForest Podcast episode, featuring experts Marissa Christansen and Chris Anthony, argues for a fundamental shift in how we handle wildfires. T...
161-Mastering Conflict-The Role of Dialogue in Landscape Management with Robin Freeman and James Whitehead
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the YourForest Podcast, Matthew Kristof explores the essential role of dialogue in effective landscape and wildfire management. Joi...
160-Understanding Conflict-The Role of Dialogue in Landscape Management with James Whitehead
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to YourForest Podcast, where Matthew Kristoff and James Whitehead navigate the crucial role of dialogue in managing environmental challenges, ...
159 - Understanding Monarch Conservation with Mike Leahy and Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to YourForest Podcast, where we explore the interconnections between environmental science, sustainability, and the human connection to nature...
158 - Guardian Movements and Indigenous Leadership with Amy Cardinal Christianson
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to YourForest Podcast, where we explore the vital connections between environmental science, sustainability, and the essential role of forests...
157 - Can Tree Planting Help Solve The Climate Crisis with Lauren Oakes
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to YourForest Podcast, where we explore the vital connections between environmental science, sustainability, and the essential role of forests...
156 - How Salmon Shape Ecosystems–Impacts from Forestry w/ Dr. Jonathan Moore and Christian Carson
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the YourForest Podcast, where host Matthew Kristoff explores the vital connections between environmental science, sustainability, and the r...
155 - Monetizing Ecosystem Services for Improved Forest Management with Mark Anielski
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to YourForest Podcast, where we dive into conversations on environmental science, sustainability, and the intrinsic values of forests.In this ...
154 - Two-Eyed Seeing with Dr. Cristina Eisenberg
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of YourForest Podcast, host Matthew Kristoff engages with Dr. Cristina Eisenberg to explore the powerful concept of "Two-Eyed Seeing."...
153 - Learn Contemplative Forestry with Jason Brown
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Your Forest podcast, host Matthew Kristoff speaks with Dr. Jason Brown, an environmental ethicist, and lecturer in religious st...
152 - Why Insects Matter–Forest Health | Insights From Caroline Whitehouse
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the YourForest podcast, host Matthew Kristoff sits down with Caroline Whitehouse, a forest health specialist with the Government of...
151-Local Sustainability with Basil Camu
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want to support healthy ecosystems, and create a legacy that can last? Me too. Start with your lawn, then your community, then see how you feel...
150-Reconciliation in Forestry with Percy Guichon
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you are looking for inspiration, look no further than the story Percy Guichon was willing to share with us. Through hardship and discrimination, pa...
149-Valuing Nature with Max Nova
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ResourcesMax NovaSponsorsWest FraserGreenLink Forestry Inc.Quotes06.17 - 06.22: “Forests are valuable for more than just what you can cut down and r...
148-Wildfire Coexistence with Lori Daniels
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wildfire has always been here, and humans have always had a relationship with it. These days, we have recognized that our relationship to fire has bee...
147-Emulating Natural Disturbance with Ellen Macdonald
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature knows best…right? So, our forest management strategies should try to emulate nature? That’s what we used to think. Unfortunately, our ideas...
146-The Life Beneath Our Feet with Cindy Prescott and Sue Grayston
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Image curtesy of National Geographic and Eye of Science through Sue GraystonIn forest management, we spend a lot of time on the things we can see; cha...
145- The Landscape Ecology of Institutions with Ira Sutherland
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What stands in the way of the future of sustainable forest management? There are many answers to this question, but the deepest answer may be colonial...
144-Empathy For Land with Jim Lane
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As modern culture expands, wilderness dwindles in its wake. It has become more challenging to create empathy for land through real experience. Luckily...
143-Climate Change and The Boreal Forest with Miguel Montoro Girona, Sylvie Gauthier, Guillaume Grosbois
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Boreal Forest is the worlds LARGEST forested biome! Understanding the inner workings of such a callosal giant can be overwhelming. Now add climate...
142- Achieving Tree Equity with American Forests
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why is tree equity important? They are just trees, right? So what? They don’t impact health, wealth, quality of life? They just look good!Well, in f...
141-The Paradigm Shift with Garry Merkel
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How we value forests is changing, and our management strategy is often playing catch up. As a result, forest management in British Columbia is undergo...
140-Protecting Old Growth Trees with Greg Herringer
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What better way to learn about Old Growth and Big Trees then to talk to a guy who thinks about nothing else!? Greg Herringer spends his work time find...
139-Big Ol' Trees with Amanda Lewis
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who doesn’t love Big Old Trees!? “You would have to be some kind of monster!” That pretty much sums up the episode. Author Amanda Lewis shares h...
138-Ukraine's Forest and Russia's War with Brian Milakovsky
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I never thought I would have to talk about war as a forest disturbance. I was not prepared, nor did I have the experience or knowledge to provide any ...
137-Morality and Nature with Nathan Kowalsky
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do we have a moral obligation to Nature? Most people extend moral standing to their family, friends, town, country, maybe as far as human species. Wha...
136-A Forest Journey with John Perlin
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How important are forests? How important is the wood we harvest from forests? The answer to both questions is - crucially important! We can imagine th...
135-Reconsidering the 'Wood Wide Web' with Justine Karst
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trees communicating? Protecting their offspring? Sending warning signals? Even helping “competing” species? These are some of the incredible thing...
134-Saving Whitebark Pine with Brenda Shepherd and Amelie Rivera
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Against all odds, one species is making a comeback! Whitebark Pine! At the top of the mountain, where few other trees even try to survive, this specie...
133-White Pine with John Pastor
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a forest full of hardwoods (leafy trees). Then imagine towering sentinel Pines standing a full tree length above the rest. Now imagine a full ...
132- The Big Burn with Jacob Margolis
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fire is many things; wild, controlled, rejuvenating, destructive, cultural, ecological, and most obviously, dangerous. Science writer Jacob Margolis l...
131-Artificial Intelligence In Forestry with Rolf Schmitz and Christof Danzl
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The old ways are changing. Technology moves fast, and with it our methods and strategies for managing the landscape. Artificial Intelligence, or machi...
130-We Don't Know What We Don't Know with Carla Rhyant
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Public forests hold a lot of value for people. Clean water, fresh air, organic food, rich ecosystems, recreation opportunities, and timber for our hom...
129- Cultural Fire Is Back with Bhiamie Williamson
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Good Fire podcast is back! This is a bonus episode where we get to listen to the very knowledgeable, very passionate, and very engaged Bhiamie William...
128-Invasive Species Eradication with Wes Jolley and Dena Spatz
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us have heard of invasive species. We may even know a few species that are wreaking havoc in your local area. You have heard the doom and gloo...
127-Canada, A Treaty Story with Matthew Wildcat
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada I am re-releasing one of my favourite episodes. Assistant Professor Matthew Wildca...
126-Good Fire in Parks with Amy Cardinal Christianson and Pierre Martel
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cultural Fire is something we have discussed quite a lot on this podcast. Today, we get to hear from some folks in Parks Canada about how they will be...
125-Wildfire Management and Climate Change with Susan Prichard
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wildfires and Climate Change… what a combo. Dr. Susan Prichard came on the show to talk about how we might start to adapt our forests to the impacts...
124- Logging Jasper with David Argument, Landon Shepherd, Kari Stuart-Smith and Shelley Tamelin
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
That’s right, logging Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Blasphemy you say? We have to protect the resource! We have to keep it “pristine”...
123- Bear Safety with Kim Titchener
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bear safety information is more riddled with opinions and ego than twitter. Guns vs spray, brown bears vs black bears, run vs play dead, climb a tree ...
122-Tree Thieves with Lyndsie Bourgon
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our forests are being stolen! One tree at a time! And it can all be blamed on poverty. After logging towns are surrounded by protected areas and all o...
121-Forest Carbon Futures with Alex Craven, Bev Law and Jim Furnish
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Forests suck up roughly 30% of our carbon emissions annually. If we want a fighting chance against climate change, we need them to keep doing this, an...
120-Forest Proud with Rae Tamblyn
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How can we build a relationship with forests that everyone can be proud of? How can we stand up for forests while supporting human development? How ca...
2 Billion Trees with Anne-Hélène Mathey, Mike Toffan and Scott Formaniuk
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Plant a tree. Plant another tree. Plant 1,999,999,998 more. That is what Canada is planning to do in the name of fighting climate change. 2 Billion tr...
118-First Nations Forestry with Dave Gill and Jordan Coble
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What would forestry look like if Indigenous cultural values were the driving force behind management decisions, instead of western values? How would ...
117-Earth-Based Land Management with Garry Merkel
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Any chance I get to pick this guy’s brain I do it! Garry has spent decades considering the clashing of two cultures, Indigenous and western culture,...
116-Swamplands with Edward Struzik
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You know those soggy, low places, where the trees are leaning like they have had too much to drink, and the sharp yellow of the Tamaracks in fall make...
115 - Prescribed Fire In National Parks with Michel Thériault and Elisabeth Caron
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If we want healthy ecosystems, we must balance the human demands of nature with the ecosystem’s capacity to provide it. For centuries, eastern Canad...
114-Community Forests with George Brcko
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this podcast we often talk about managing the forest for ALL values, equally, in a way that benefits all interests. Community forests may hold some...
113-Reconciliation with Garry Merkel
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does reconciliation have to do with forestry? “It has everything to do with it.” - Garry Merkel. If we want to be stewards of the land we nee...
112-Learning From Our Mistakes with Milo Mihaljovich
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you could decide how our forests will be managed, what would you do? Would you make drastic changes? Who, or what would be informing those changes?...
111-Environmental Sociology with John Parkins
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As land stewards, we spend most of our time discussing the hard science. If we take this action on the landscape how will that affect everything else?...
110-Old Growth with John Innes, Andy Mackinnon and Garry Merkel
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Old Growth. What does that mean? How old is Old? How big is Big? How much is out there? How ecologically unique is it? And finally, how should we inte...
109-From The Wild with Kevin Kossowan
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a forest? Is it the trees? The animals? The plants? The soil? A forest is the connection between all these things. What makes it exciting i...
108-Philosophy of Nature with Martin Bunzl
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nature. What is it? Where does Nature end and Human-made begin? Where do we draw the line? Why would we draw the line? Questions like this keep Philos...
#107-Honouring Truth with Michael Gubbels
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As stewards of the land, it is the duty of all environmental professionals to look after all forest values forever. We have gotten good at managing fo...
#106-Glyphosate and Biodiversity with John Nash and Matthew Olson
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We ask a lot of our forests. We demand food, water, and wood for shelter, but we also ask it to be natural, biodiverse, healthy, and ever-lasting. To ...
#105-The Trouble With Wilderness with Ben Cosgrove
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How does music impact your life? Does it make you happy or sad, giddy, or intense? Does it make you relax or reflect on life? Does it change the way y...
#104-Defining Land Reclamation with Anne Naeth
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Humans love the outdoors. We love to observe it, recreate in it, listen to it, and we depend on its resources to drive our economy and build cool stuf...
#103- Women In Wood with Jessica Kaknevicius
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does true equity look like? Why is it important? How do we accomplish it? Jessica has spent her career looking for answers to these questions. Tu...
#102-Waking The Sleeping Giant with Jake Kheel
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sustainability can be confusing. We all want it, but how do we achieve it? Jake Kheel makes it understandable. In his new book “Waking The Sleeping ...
#101-Digging Into The Past with Kurtis Blaikie-Birkigt
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Archeological finds in the boreal forest have exploded in the past 5 years. Hundreds of new sites have been located with evidence of vast populations ...
#100-Recycling Is Dead with Raz Razgaitis
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Your Forest Podcast by Matthew Kristoff Recycling Is Dead with Raz Razgaitis Episode highlightRaz Razgaitis, CEO of FloWater, talks about wa...
#99-Our Next Evolution with Laura Calandrella
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Finding solutions to our ever-lengthening list of environmental management problems can seem nearly impossible. We have a desire to solve an issue, cr...
#98-Project Forest with Mike Toffan
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Your Forest Podcast by Matthew KristoffProject Forest With Mike ToffanEpisode highlightMike Toffan is part of the team at Project Forest that is rewil...
#97-Regenerating Forests with Milo Mihajlovich
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do we ensure sustainable forests forever? Not just the trees, but the wildlife, water, soil, recreation opportunities, etc. Forests are moving tar...
#96-Forests for Wildlife with Daniel Harrison
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wildlife is probably the most relatable aspect of nature. We all want to see squirrels, deer, bears, and lynx. But do we know how best to manage a wo...
#95-Valuing Forests With Milo Mihajlovich, Robert Wagner and Daniel Harrison
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a forest? How do we define it? Is it the trees? The wildlife? The soil or the water? What about a place to find food or a spiritual connection...
#94-Canada, A Treaty Story with Matthew Wildcat
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the story of Canada? Discovery? Conquest? What about Treaty? Most of us think of Treaty as a different set of laws and rights pertaining only ...
#93-An Indigenous Perspective with Fabian Grey
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all want healthy forest ecosystems, clean water, and vibrant communities. We can achieve these goals through sustainable forest management (SFM). H...
#92-BioEconomy 2.0 with Darrel Fry
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Plastics in the ocean, plastics in the soil, non-renewable petrochemical products are found littered across the globe. These products are toxic to the...
#91-Living with Fire with Mike Flannigan
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We have all seen the news footage of wildfires raging through our wild places, threatening homes and lives. Many of us have even been impacted by the ...
#90-Back in the Day with Kendrick Brown and Tamara Fletcher
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder what your backyard looked like 10,000 years ago? 100,000 years ago? 1,000,000 years ago? I did, so I went looking for someone with some a...
#89-An Outside Perspective with Tony Kryzanowski
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to a lot of researchers and environmental professionals on this podcast. I thought maybe it was time to get a different perspective. Someone ...
#88-Investing In Forests with Diego Saez Gil
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all understand that climate change is bad and that we should do something to stop it, but why then do we all struggle to put our money where our mo...
#87-A Sustainable Future with Jeremy L. Caradonna
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sustainability is a buzz word in our society today. Everyone hears the word, but do we really understand the idea? Sustainability encompasses all asp...
#86-Recreation and Education during COVID with Todd Zimmerling and Ellen Macdonald
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Getting outdoors during this pandemic has been stressful. Which it is not supposed to be. Where are the lines we don’t want to cross? The lines betw...
#85-Birds, Jobs and a Pandemic with Patti Campsall and Brock Mulligan
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
So a global pandemic has ruined your hiking plans. Clearly, there are more important things to worry about right now, but getting out in nature is how...
#84-Lost Landscapes with Patricia McCormack
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The majority of northern Alberta is covered in thick forest, but it may have looked very different only 100 years ago. What is now dense mixedwood for...
#83-Forgotten Icons With Greg Wilson
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine traveling across the grasslands of North America and needing to take a three-day rest stop between destinations because there is a heard of 10...
#82-Travel Back In Time with Trisha Hook
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How can we find proof of what happened in the past? Written accounts by the people of the day are helpful, but how can we prove what they are saying i...
#81-Bogged Down with Ducks Unlimited: National Boreal Program
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Where does your drinking water come from? What protects your home from floods? Where is 60 percent of all the carbon stored in Canadian soils? What pr...
#80-Woodland Caribou Restoration with Scott Nielsen
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An ice age relic living among us, Caribou are perhaps a remnant of an age long gone. Woodland Caribou are a beautiful, important, and yet many claim, ...
#79-One Last Cast with Bruce Masterman
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many people spend much of their time in the outdoors hoping to achieve something. Whether it’s hiking to the peak of a mountain, catching the bigges...
#78-Living with Grizzlies with Courtney Hughes
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Living harmoniously with wildlife is not something western society has been able to do very well in the past. That being said, in the last few decades...
#77-Real World Adaptation with Sheri Andrews-Key and Mark Johnston
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change has already begun to cause problems for forest management in Canada. These challenges can be difficult to recognize, and even more daun...
#76-Indigenous Consultation with Nathan Lauer
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Indigenous people have lived in the Boreal forest since time immemorial, depending on the land for the health of their culture and community. Since co...
#75-Changing Regeneration with Phil Comeau
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How can we sequester more carbon, reduce the use of herbicide, produce more wood fibre, all while approaching a more "natural” method of forest rege...
#74-Grizzly with Scott Nielsen
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Grizzly bears are the second-largest land predator on the planet, next to the polar bear. They hold such mystique and wonder in our society and have c...
#73-Objectivity in Sustainability with Todd Nash
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Forests hold many values for human kind. From housing species at risk and cleaning our water supply to economic prosperity and cultural empowerment. ...
#72-Burning in Australia with Amy Cardinal Christianson, Trent Nelson and Tim Kanoa
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
‘Good Fire’ is a podcast series about cultural burning around the world. I was fortunate enough to get to be a part of the conversations, even tho...
#71-Importance of Biodiversity with Tara Narwani
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What makes biodiversity so important? Why is it so often discussed in environmental writing? How do we measure what a healthy amount of biodiversity l...
#70-The Great Fire with Peter Murphy
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1919, soldiers were returning home from World War 1, the average family was getting around using horses, and the new population of Canada was seeki...
#69-Grind and Pound with Wilson Sihlis
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Grind and pound…I bet you didn’t expect this episode to be about tree planting, did you? But apparently that’s exactly what’s needed to be a g...