Villainous arboreal poisoner, or misunderstood forest benefactor? Despite its bipinnately gorgeous appearance and emotional significance to the general public, the black walnut (Juglans nigra) has spent decades under the critical gaze of tree lovers for its allegedly allelopathic behavior. But when new studies come to light, this cold case turns red hot! Misophonia warning: candied nuts will be munched. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonSupport the pod and become a Treemium MemberFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-VandalsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gather 'round to hear the unfortunate tale of the arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), a tree that's truly less than the sum of its parts. A mass-produced hedge tree in the Cypress family that's exploited on west coast surbuban streets, this tree has plenty of faults and makes for good gossip. But can a tree be inherently bad, or is a tree made bad by the people who plant it? Then stick around for our first ever game, Binomial Bonanza! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonSupport the pod and become a Treemium MemberFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-VandalsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SQUIRRELS! Today we burrow head first into a discussion of the Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), another house favorite tree named by David Douglas, and our first broadleaf species. Most years these mighty acorn-makers supply local squirrel populations with plenty of food for winter. But what happens when an oak takes the year off, and how does that affect the squirrel world (or, Squirrorld ™)? Are squirrels organizational geniuses... or do they simply think like squirrels? How many times can you say the word "squirrel" until it starts to sound like gibberish? All these answers and more, on this episode of Completely Arbortrary. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonSupport the pod and become a Treemium MemberFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-VandalsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.