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26 Episodes 0 - 2024
Episode 1
Moss is just green fuzzy stuff, right? Apparently not. The tiny leaves of moss actually have huge super powers. Taviss joins bryologist Kayla Wilkins for a magical moss tour, where they will discover how moss grows without roots, its super sponge abilities, and how scientists use moss to measure pollution in the air.
Episode 2
Mother trees are the oldest, biggest, and most important trees in the forest. Taviss joins Eric Davies from the University of Toronto on a detective search: finding and mapping the mother trees, measuring their important stats, and "seed forecasting". Taviss learns why mother trees are so important to forest restoration and discovers their most vital offering: their seeds.
Episode 3
Taviss joins worm expert extraordinaire Michael McTavish, to learn how this underground invader is wrecking the forest floor. Using a tasty method to draw the worms to the top of the soil, Taviss gets up close and personal with the wiggly creatures.
Episode 4
Taviss teams up with master arborist Kyle McCoughlin to learn all about the tree doctor profession. Together, they find their patients, diagnose the root of the problem, devise a treatment plan and complete the procedures. Finally - Taviss gets to practice the most important arborist skill: tree climbing.
Episode 5
The secret is out: the forest is a giant sink. A carbon sink. It's a pretty big concept, but lucky for Taviss, Dr. Altaf Arain and his students from McMaster University are here to help break it down. Taviss joins the team for the day, learning about all of the high tech tools the team uses for their work. She takes her adventures to new heights as she climbs the research towers at St. Williams Conservation Area to get to the bottom - er - top of it.
Episode 6
Every autumn, trees are dipped in brilliant colours as they transform alongside the changing seasons. But WHY!? With the help of Jill Francis from Parks Canada and scientist Lynsay Spafford, Taviss is going to find out. First, she learns the significance of the colours to the Mi'kmaq people of the land, before lending a hand to Lynsay, helping set-up her fancy science "phenocams".
Episode 7
Saw-Whet Owls fill the forests of this part of the world, but they hide so well you might never know they exist. Luckily, Taviss is friends with Kyle Cameron from Birds Canada, who knows all about the elusive Saw-Whet. They spend the night at Long Point Bird Observatory to catch, band, and research the secretive species.
Episode 8
Taviss lives a day in the life of a Birds Canada volunteer, when she visits Kyle Cameron at the Long Point Bird Observatory. With millions of birds flying through Long Point every year, it's the perfect spot to survey, catch, and band their winged friends before they fly off on their next migration journey.
Episode 9
In Algonquin Provincial Park, the winter forest is aflutter with a particularly cute inhabitant: the Canada Jay. Taviss joins scientists Ryan Norris and Karen Ong, who are researchers in a 50 year Canada Jay study. The team gets on their snowshoes to see the cold-loving species up close and personal.
Episode 10
Who knew the forest could be so delicious. Today, Taviss joins chef Zach Keeshig for a day of foraging, where she learns what you can eat, how to harvest responsibly, as well as Zach's techniques for "Indigenizing" food. They gather their ingredients and Zach shows Taviss how to prep some tasty treats. Yum.
Episode 11
If there's anyone that knows the beaver, it's Leonardo Cabrera from Parks Canada. He and Taviss meet up in Rouge National Urban Park to understand how a beaver dam works, and how the beavers are truly the architects and designers of their forest habitats. Then, Taviss witnesses the magic at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, as they release a beaver back to its rightful home.
Episode 12
Scratches, salal, and scat - oh my. Taviss is teaming up with superstars from Parks Canada, who guide her through Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's picturesque forest on a safe search for signs of black bears. Taviss is surprised to learn that while bears may be dangerous if encountered on a hike, it is humans that are the real danger to bears.
Episode 13
Taviss can't believe her eyes when she discovers the huge Banana Slug, a staple in moist British Columbia. She teams up with slug expert Dr. Kristiina Ovaska and her granddaughter to learn more about this west coast forest dweller. Together, they create slug traps, check out its super poop and sticky slime, and discover how many slug friends are out and about.
Episode 14
The seasonal rainforest of Victoria, British Columbia is home to some seriously amazing trees. Taviss meets Marty Kranabetter, a seasoned scientist who knows all about the epic environment. Together, they embark on a tour of the area's beautiful trees, discovering the sacred species, unique wood, and absolutely huge trees that are west coast wonders.
Episode 15
Bruised? There's a plant for that. Growing Pains? There's a plant for that. Taviss meets up with Joe Pitawanakwat, a plant educator from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory. Joe shares the special knowledge passed from his Grandmother: how to get to know a plant by learning its Anishinaabemowin name, how to recognize our human body mirrored in nature, and how to help the plants in return.
Episode 16
Pests, fungus, and beech snap - oh my. Beech Bark disease has entered Killbear Provincial Park and sadly, will never leave. But that doesn't mean the forest won't survive. Alongside Isabelle Moy from Ontario Parks, Taviss learns how to identify a beech tree and spot signs of disease.
Episode 17
To take care of a forest, you gotta know what's going on in the forest. Taviss joins Courtney from Parks Canada on a mission to set up remote monitoring devices across the vast Pukaskwa National Park. But it's no easy feat: they'll have to hike off trail, ATV, and speed boat to access these hard-to-reach spots. Taviss is up for the adventure.
Episode 18
In Pukaskwa National Park, Taviss joins Basil from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nations. He shares how Indigenous peoples have used fire to maintain the land since time immemorial. She then meets the Pukaskwa Fire Management Team for some real-life fire fighting training - plus a quick trip up in a helicopter to see how the team spots forest fires from the sky.
Episode 19
Walking through the forest, it's easy to forget the very thing that supports forest life: the GROUND. But what exactly is the ground? It's soil. And soil is full of its own mysteries and history. Alongside scientists from Lakehead University, Taviss gets deep in the dirt to discover firsthand how soil is truly alive.
Episode 20
Taviss joins Troy McMullin from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Algonquin Provincial Park, at the epic Barron Canyon. Troy is the scientist to bust open the secret of the forest transformer known as lichen. Taviss discovers all of lichen's transforming powers - from its bitter taste to its colour changing abilities. Finally, they wait for nightfall to reveal the lichen's best kept secret.
Episode 21
Taviss steps foot into the special rainforest pavilion which is (almost!) like being in the real thing. She joins the Toronto Zoo crew for a full "day in the life" experience, helping out with the habitat and the orangutans themselves. As she completes her to-do list, she learns about the oil palm tree - and how even her own small decisions might have a big impact for the endangered orangutans.
Episode 22
From huge peat bogs to fire-loving tree species, the Boreal Forest is full of majesty. Taviss heads to Esker Lakes Provincial Park, where Ontario Parks will help her discover why the Boreal is called the "lungs of the Earth". But with the Boreal being the Earth's largest intact forest, the ultimate way to experience it is from the air. There's no where to go, but up.
Episode 23
Taviss heads to Kettle Lakes Provincial Park with Rachelle from Ontario Parks, who is totally in love with the underrated Poplar tree. Rachelle unveils the awesome adaptations that make this tree so impressive: its super seeds, strange cloning abilities, and fantastic photosynthesis skills. Taviss is sold - she's adding this tree to her own personal list of forest faves.
Episode 24
Taviss takes a trip into the ravine at Toronto's International School with artist, forager and ink maker Jason Logan. Together, they go beyond the browns and greens of the forest in search of hidden colours to forage. Once found, they head to their outdoor laboratory where the experimenting begins. With a little bit of science and a lot of curiosity, they turn these natural materials into beautiful, vibrant ink.
Episode 25
Right underneath our feet, fungi and plant life are joining forces. Taviss sets out with Dr. Greg Thorn from Western University and his students Alicia and Katarina to track down mycorrhizae - fungal roots that are responsible for our green planet. Taviss learns the history of this incredible relationship, creates a "spore print" to help identify a mycorrhizal mushroom, and finally sees the tiny roots up close.
Episode 26
Taviss hunts for physarum, aka "slime mold" with expert extraordinaire. Dr. Nirosha Murugan. Taviss is shocked to learn that physarum grows, eats, and makes decisions!?. And don't even get her started on all of its wacky names. Together, they take a sample of the physarum and head to the lab, where they see the strange organism solve a maze all on its own.