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Completely Arbortrary

Science

Tree advocate Casey Clapp and his tree-curious friend Alex Crowson bring you a podcast about trees and other related topics. History, culture, art, religion, science... trees affect and are affected by everything. Join Casey and Alex on their silly...

Location:

United States

Genres:

Science

Description:

Tree advocate Casey Clapp and his tree-curious friend Alex Crowson bring you a podcast about trees and other related topics. History, culture, art, religion, science... trees affect and are affected by everything. Join Casey and Alex on their silly and educational journey to prove it.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Hades! Hades! Hades! (English Yew)

4/9/2026
Originally aired 1/27/2022 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.

Duration:00:58:24

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Episode III: Revenge of the Pith (Douglas-fir 3)

4/2/2026
In our final mainline episode of Completely Arbortrary, we revisit the tree that started it all: the Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). 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.

Duration:01:35:03

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Wood Vibrations (Wild Whiskey Cherry)

3/26/2026
In our penultimate episode of Completely Arbortrary (as we know it), we discuss the wild whiskey cherry (Prunus serotina) and its many wooden accolades. 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.

Duration:01:15:42

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BONUS EPISODE: Trees of the Deserts

3/19/2026
Alex is unexpectedly out this week so you get a bunch of ums and uhhs from Casey along with an audio essay about desert trees! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duration:00:10:36

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Anastasianism (Siberian Stone Pine)

3/12/2026
Be one with the land (and also learn teleportation) with Anastasianism, a religion centered around the Siberian stone pine (Pinus siberica). 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.

Duration:01:13:22

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How Casey Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apple (Apple 3)

3/5/2026
260 episodes and 5 years later, and Casey has found an apple he loves, (Malus hupehensis), which he dubs by far the most interesting apple in the world. 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.

Duration:01:12:14

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Are You There, Fog? (Coast Redwood 2)

2/26/2026
Fog: the coast redwood's strongest ally through a process called folial uptake. 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.

Duration:01:10:16

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Reinventing the (Wheel Tree)

2/19/2026
Don't go reinventing the wheel tree (Trochodendron aralioides), it certainly isn't. 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.

Duration:01:03:21

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Even Older Growth (Western Juniper 2)

2/12/2026
You’ve heard of old growth forest… but how about old growth woodland? For more info, ask the western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), a tree that is helping to redefine the meaning of old growth. Then, we play a brand new game! 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.

Duration:01:30:58

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Renaissance Tree (Superb Schima)

2/5/2026
A tree that lacks nothing… except for name recognition: the superb schima (Schima superba) (yes, that is its real name.) 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.

Duration:01:08:34

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Cones on the Spectrum (Celerytop-Pine)

1/29/2026
Forget everything you thought you knew about conifers, and make way for the celerytop-pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius) with leaves and cones like no other, and raises the question “what is a conifer”? 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.

Duration:01:19:54

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Evolutionary Naïveté (Blue Ash)

1/22/2026
When the emerald ash borer came to North America, few ashes survived. But one native species, the blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata), survived. How did this lucky survivor beat the odds? 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.

Duration:01:00:52

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Bird Influence (Limber Pine)

1/15/2026
Today we discuss our flexible friend the limber pine (Pinus flexilis) and its curious co-evolutionary relationship with, you guessed it, BIRDS. 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.

Duration:01:26:08

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Burning Hot Fresh Root News (Scots Pine)

1/8/2026
Welcome to Season X of Completely Arbortrary, our final hoorah! To begin the end, we talk about senses of smell and the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). 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.

Duration:01:10:58

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It's The End of Completely Arbortrary (As We Know It)

1/1/2026
It's been 5 years of weekly tree podcasts, but after this final season, Casey and Alex will be moseying on to the next chapter for an extended hiatus. Buckle up for THE FINAL SEASON of Completely Arbortrary. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duration:00:50:41

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How Water Moves Through Trees (Oyster Bay-Pine)

12/25/2025
Turgor pressure, negative pressure, vessels and tracheids, embolisms… It’s a fact-packed Christmas Day episode of Completely Arbortrary, featuring the Oyster Bay-pine (Callitris rhomboidea). This drought tolerant tree has a surprising mechanism for keeping its water closely guarded. Merry Christmas! 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.

Duration:01:17:22

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Underplanted, Underrated, Underappreciated (Japanese Pagodatree)

12/18/2025
Underrated, underplanted, underappreciated… so why isn’t the Japanese pagodatree (Styphnolobium japonicum) a more popular as a street tree in our urban forests? 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.

Duration:01:18:02

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Ivory & (Ebony)

12/11/2025
work together in perfect harmony (guitar reference). Today, learn all about the ebony (Diospyros ebenum), it's typical path through capitalism, and the guitar luthier who gave it back to the world. 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.

Duration:01:14:36

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The Odysseed (Lotus Tree)

12/4/2025
Hop aboard the good ship Odyssey to make for the island of the lotus tree (Diospyros lotus). But, could this be a case of mistaken idenitree?... 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.

Duration:01:00:05

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Holiday Merch Sale + Urban Trees and Racism

11/27/2025
As we take a quick break we're here to remind you that our holiday merch sale ends ON BLACK FRIDAY, and reintroduce you to our talk on urban trees and racism. 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.

Duration:01:11:22