Completely Arbortrary

Latest Episodes:

The Milkshake Analogy (Western Red Cedar) Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

The western redcedar and all its glory today, along with our first interview (!) with Sam Stewart, a guitar craftsman and musician who tells us all ‘bout how wood is used in guitars.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nurse! (Western Hemlock) Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

When a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? We don’t know! But it sure does make a lovely habitat for a plethora of little creatures and plants. Today we examine nurse logs from the persective of one of the best, the Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), a species that excels at the practice. Then we weigh the odds with The Cone Scale.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tree of Hell (Tree of Heaven) Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

INVASION! In this episode we discuss the morality of tree invasiveness, and find ourselves debating the question: who’s invading whom?

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ulmus De Niro (American Elm) Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

An American legend whose time was cut too short, this week we discuss the American elm and its momentous rise and historic fall in the mean city streets across North America. But, we learn an important lesson that feels all too true across the board.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Under(dog)story (Japanese Maple) Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

A tree that didn’t ask for the praise, but certainly earns it, this week it’s the Japanese maple and we chat about the undergods of the forest, the understory trees. Then we check in with the Fungal Associated Press.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

iSpread (Quaking Aspen) Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

What is it to be a tree? What is a trees? What are a tree? The quaking aspen has it all figured out, and they (it?) have (has?) been doing it since the ice age. We talk Pando, (re)production, and bay is bae!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

C-Men (Bradford Pear) Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Is it the perfect tree, as close to ideal as possible, or is it a scourge upon the exotic soils to which it was brought? This week we talk the infamous Bradford pear and boy does this episode stink.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BONUS EPISODE - Completely Arbortrary: Classic - Season 3 Trailer & "What is a Tree?" Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Season 3! Completely Arbortrary: Classic This season we're returning to format and covering some long-requested trees, and some house-favorites as well!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mangroves on Mangroves on Mangroves (Red Mangrove) Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Perhaps the most cosmopolitan aquatic tree out there, this week we conclude our world tour with a trip to the waters of the tropics (any of them!) and dive into just what makes mangroves such nifty trees.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Insect That's Sensitive to Scents (Mountain Ash Eucalyptus) Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

G’day and welcome to the penultimate installation of our Spring ‘21 collection wherein we of course are covering the famous Australian giant, the mountain-ash eucalyptus. The tallest growing angiosperm in the world, and a tree that can fight off nearly everything, this week we discuss the fabulous way eucalyptus trees use chemical defenses to ward off unwanted nibblers...and how some of those nibblers have used that to their advantage.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.