ASCCing the Experts
THe ASCc Network Podcast
Summary
The ASCCing the Experts podcast is an informational series that platforms natural resource professionals conducting applied research related to climate adaptation and ecosystem management across North America. Each episode features an expert interview, where guest(s) are asked critical questions about their ongoing work and its on-the-ground applications. We hope that giving voice to these individuals and their work will lead to more a widespread understanding of the importance of climate adaptive management and improved ecological outcomes in North American ecosystems. New episodes are posted biweekly on Mondays and can be found on multiple platforms including Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Your Host
This podcast is hosted by ASCC Science Communication intern and AmeriCorps member Rylee McMillan. Rylee is an undergraduate student studying forest and rangeland stewardship and human dimensions of natural resources at Colorado State University (CSU). To connect with Rylee, please email her at: asccing.the.experts.podcast@gmail.com.
Episodes
Episode 1: Interview with Dr. Linda Nagel - Founding the ASCC Network
For the first episode of this series, we want to introduce who we are and what we do! In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Linda Nagel, who is the co-founder and leader of the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network. First, we discuss Linda’s connection to silviculture, and how the field relates to climate adaptation. We then chat about the Network’s conceptualization, and the many bright minds involved in its creation. Afterwards, we dive deep into the Network’s purpose and protocols, and end by discussing the Network’s recently published paper: Ten Years of Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change: An Applied, Co-Produced Experimental Framework. Check out the resources below for help with terminology and more information about the Network, where we work, and what we do; and be sure to look for new episodes every other Monday!
Episode 2: Interview with Dr. Jake Courkamp - Why do RAngeland and Weed Management?
This episode features an interview with Dr. Jake Courkamp, who is a rangeland and weed ecology research scientist at Colorado State University. Jake shares about his experience as a researcher in the field of range science, and how his work supports practitioners in facing ecosystem challenges like weed removal. He justifies the need for active management of weeds in rangelands, and explains the importance of having good, “specific” management objectives. He then details the pitfalls and paths for the potential improvement of rangeland management tools, like ecological site descriptions. In parting, Jake shares how some of the ecosystems he’s visited and worked in bring him hope and invites listeners to consider exploring range science professionally. Check out the definitions and resources included below for more information about episode topics; and be sure to look for new episodes every other Monday!
Episode 3: Interview with Dr. Adrienne Keller - understanding and Communicating about Forest Carbon
This episode features an interview with Dr. Adrienne Keller, a terrestrial ecosystem ecologist and soil carbon scientist associated with Michigan Tech University and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS). In this interview, Adrienne describes her work and interest in above and below ground forest carbon. She starts off by describing the miraculous world of mycorrhizal fungi leading into a discussion about forest soil carbon and carbon cycling. Adrienne also explains how she effectively communicates about forest carbon with managers, and shares insight about the value of place-based knowledge had by on-the-ground practitioners. She ends by mentioning some resources that listeners can use to boost their carbon confidence and competence, which are included in the show notes. Be sure to take a look at those, and the other resources below, and check back in in two weeks for the next episode!
Episode 4: Interview with Dr. Martha Sample - Climate Change and EAB in the Upper Midwest
This episode features an interview with Dr. Martha Sample, a Climate Adaptation Specialist with the University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (AKA NIACS). Martha starts by sharing her personal and professional journey in the field of natural resources, culminating with her current project related to northern lowland hardwood forests in the Upper Midwest. She describes these systems and the distinct ways in which climate change and emerald ash-borer are affecting them. Afterwards, Martha expands on the integral the role of managers, practitioners, and stewards in determining adaptation pathways for these forests, and provides some examples of actions already being implemented regionally. In closing, she shares how the idea of positive uncertainty brings her hope, and invites listeners interested or working in northern lowland hardwood forests to reach out via her email included in the show notes.