Season 6 | Episode 9
River Trees
September 2, 2025
Restoring and reforesting floodplain forests is no small feat—these ecosystems are as fascinating as they are complex. While they face many of the same disturbances as upland forests, bottomland ecosystems are uniquely shaped by water. Adding to this challenge of hydrology are the profound impacts of levies, agriculture, dams, and other disturbances. In this episode of SilviCast, we dive deep into the world of bottomland forest restoration with insights from national experts at the 2025 Northeastern and Southern Forest and Conservation Nursery Meeting. Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring Dan Dey (recently retired, USFS Northern Research Station), Andy Meier (Lead Forester, US Army Corps of Engineers – St. Paul District), and James Shelton (Manager, Arkansas Baucum State Nursery).
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Guests On This Episode
Dan Dey, Ph.D.
Retired Research Forester, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station
Dr. Dan Dey (retired) was Science Advisor for the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station. Dan has been a Research Forester since 1987 to present. His personal research emphasis is the ecology and silviculture of eastern forests, woodlands and savannas. He received his Ph.D. in 1991 from the University of Missouri, and since then has worked as a research forester for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Missouri Dept of Conservation and the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. He has been conducting research for the US Forest Service since 1998. Before becoming a scientist, Dan worked as a forester on the Ketchikan Ranger District, Tongass National Forest and the Red River Ranger District, Nez Perce National Forest.
Andrew Meier
Lead Forester, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, Mississippi River Environmental Section
Andy Meier is lead forester for the US Army Corps of Engineers – St. Paul District, Mississippi River Environmental Section. In his position he oversees a team responsible for implementation of terrestrial habitat management on 23,000 acres of primarily bottomland forest in close coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners. He also works on large-targeted habitat restoration projects in the Mississippi River focused on re-establishing natural function in a managed river system. He graduated with a BS in forest management from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2007 and an MS in forest biology from Purdue University in 2012.
James Shelton
Baucum Nursery Manager, Arkansas Department of Agriculture Forestry Division
Meet James Shelton. #PeopleofForestry
Mississippi River Pool 3 Floodplain Forest Silvicultural Trials, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Case Study by Andrew Meier
Mississippi River Pool 8 Blowdown and Reforestation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Case Study by Andrew Meier
Reforestation, Nurseries, & Genetic Resources (RNGR) – USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry
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Continuing Education
Wisconsin Cooperating Foresters do not need to complete a quiz to claim continuing education units. For reporting purposes, please note the date viewed, episode number, as well as title, sponsor, and hours. Silvicast episodes are rated for qualifying continuing education hours on an hour-for-hour basis.
We are no longer offer Continuing Forester Education (CFE) through the Society of American Foresters for new SilviCast episodes published after September 2025.
However, CFEs are still available for episodes published prior to September 2025.
If you would like to earn CFEs for past SilviCast episodes, let us know which episodes you are interested in. We will send the registration links so you can take the quizzes. Upon completion, the system will automatically generate a certificate that you can submit to SAF.
