The Forester’s Forecast

The Forester’s Forecast is an interview series dedicated to the people behind forest biometrics and forest analytics — the scientists, researchers, and analysts whose work quietly shapes how we understand, measure, and manage forests. The show features three series: the flagship interview series, exploring the careers and life stories of professionals; The Grad Student Spotlight, which highlights graduate students, showcasing their research and career goals; and A Band of Biometricians, a roundtable series where multiple proffesionals are gathered discuss current hot topics in the field.

Your host, Micky G. Allen II, Ph.D., CF, is a consulting forest biometrician and senior forest analyst at Larson & McGowin, LLC, working in forest inventory and harvest planning. Micky created The Forester’s Forecast to document the careers and stories of the people who form the backbone of forest biometrics.

Latest Episodes

The Forester’s Forecast

Episode 20: Dr. Robert Froese

September 29, 2026

My guest this episode is Dr. Robert Froese, Professor and Endowed Chair in Forest Growth and Yield at the University of Alberta. He joined from a campground in the Canadian Rockies. We talk about his path from UBC to the University of Idaho, 18 years at Michigan Tech, and his return to Canada. He’s now leading a $5.9M project to rethink how Alberta models forest growth and yield.

Grad Student Spotlight

Grad Student Spotlight - Episode 3: Olakunle Joshua

January 30, 2025

Joshua is a PhD student in the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and founder of The Achiever’s Gathering, Nigeria (TAGNG).

A Band of Biometricians

A Band of Biometricians #2: The U.S. National Scale Volume and Biomass estimation system

September 03, 2026

On this episode of A Band of Biometricians (a series from The Forester’s Forecast), Micky Allen sits down with four of the people behind the USDA Forest Service’s National-Scale Volume and Biomass (NSVB) system — Aaron Weiskittel (University of Maine), John Coulston (formerly USFS Southern Research Station, now NCASI), Jim Westfall (USFS Northern Research Station, lead author), and Phil Radtke (Virginia Tech).