In this interview, Dave weaves together the story of white oak trees, the Kentucky bourbon boom, and his personal discovery of how a tourist industry he thought was good for the economy of his state is actually an enormous problem for white oak forests.

To book Dave's Bourbon Barrel Roadshow, email davecooper928@yahoo.com, or call 859-447-6534 for more information.

Resources mentioned during the interview:

• White Oak Initiative - An coalition of groups including industry leaders, private landowners, academic institutions, and government agencies, working together for the long term sustainability of America's white oak dominant forests.
• Finding The Mother Tree - A book which helps us understand that forests are a complicated, interdependent circle of life, connected through underground networks by which trees communicate their vitality and vulnerabilities with communal lives not that different from our own.

Sam Stearns is a forest protection activist from Southern Illinois and has been working to protect the Shawnee National Forest for most of his life. He is the founder of Friends of Bell Smith Springs and a leader in the current movement to create the Shawnee National Park and Climate Preserve.

This year's upcoming 34th Annual Heartwood Forest Council will be held in Southern Illinois over Memorial Day Weekend, May 22nd-25th, 2026. It will be a great opportunity to experience the magic of the Shawnee first-hand, meet up with the amazing folks that make up Heartwood, eat great food, listen to and play great music, do a little dancing, and learn what you can do to make a difference.

Learn more about the Shawnee:

• https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/03/18/on-the-shawnee-forest-money-trail/
• https://commonreader.wustl.edu/hiking-with-the-lorax-of-shawnee-national-forest/
• https://therevelator.org/shawnee-climate/
• https://greatriverslaw.org/2025/10/01/groups-sue-forest-service-over-illegal-road-plan-in-lusk-creek-wilderness/

Donate to Friends of Bell Smith Springs to cover legal expenses: https://gofund.me/15f718f6c

Register for the upcoming 34th Annual Heartwood Forest Council, May 22-25, 2026

Become a member of Heartwood: https://heartwood.org/support/individual/index.html

Intro music: "Diamond in the Sun" by Robert Hoyt, 1995. Dumpster Diving Across America.

This interview took place on March 25, 2026 with Jillian Bar-av.

This interview took place on July 9, 2025. Matt Peters is the current coordinator for Heartwood and a longtime forest protection activist. He founded the Allegheny Defense Project, worked with the Buckeye Forest Council, and now works with local groups in his hometown of Pittsburgh while he continues to work with Heartwood to protect our National Forests.

In this conversation, Matt talks about how Heartwood taught him to effectively challenge timber sales on our National Forests by simply reading the law and getting involved with the public process. He also talks about how our current government is intentionally excluding the public through the use of categorical exclusions, and changes to the National Environmental Policy Act.

Intro music: "Diamond in the Sun" by Robert Hoyt, 1995. Dumpster Diving Across America.

Outro music: "You Can't Go Away" by Andy Mahler, 2025. Andy Mahler & Buffalo Strings.

Listen to Andy's own original music played with Buffalo Strings at Andy Mahler, Buffalo Strings.

Want to donate to Heartwood? Donate here.