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FNR Extension Most Viewed Videos from 2024

Videos on the Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources Extension YouTube channel received more than 359,000 views in 2024. The Top 50 videos included 49 editions of ID That Tree, an informational series by Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee, as well as an instructional video about a common urban tree planting problem by former Purdue Extension urban forester Lindsey Purcell.

Below we will count down the 10 most viewed Purdue FNR Extension videos of 2024 with a few bonus videos sure to shoot up the list in future years. 

Our most viewed video in 2023 was ID That Tree: American Elm with a whopping 19,718 views. This video has been seen more than 53,000 times since its debut in June of 2020. 

1 - ID That Tree: American Elm -- In this tree identification series you will see how American elm leaves have jagged edges with a large tooth and then smaller teeth like edges on top of it. Find out why these trees are not as easy to find as they used to be.

Our second most viewed video is ID That Tree: Black Walnut. This video, which debuted in September 2020, was watched 18,915 times in 2024, and has been viewed 47,741 times overall.

2 - ID That Tree: Black Walnut -- Learn the identifying characteristics of the black walnut tree, also known as the American black walnut or eastern black walnut, including pairs of leaflets running down each stem, long running ridges on the bark, and round nuts that have a very strong exterior. This sun-loving tree also needs high quality soil.
Number three on our Purdue FNR Extension most viewed list is ID That Tree: Sassafras. This video was seen 11,469 times in 2024. It has now been viewed 17,791 times since its debut in July 2020. Graduate student Olivia Bingham is researching sassafras wilt in Indiana and needs your help with possible sightings across the state. 

3 - ID That Tree: Sassafras -- Join Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee as he introduces you to the Sassafras in this edition of ID That Tree. The Sassafras is well known for the tea made from its bark and also for having a variety of shaped leaves from zero to three lobes.
Number four on our most viewed list from 2024 is ID That Tree: Chokecherry. This video, which made its appearance in July 2023, racked up 10,443 views last year. Since its debut, it has been seen 13,156 times. 

4 - ID That Tree: Chokecherry -- In this episode of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces the Chokecherry. This species is found in the North Woods of Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as natively in Indiana in small/medium shrub form. This species has alternately held broad leaves with finely toothed margins, and has short leaf stalks. The stems are a light to medium gray color and have prominent lenticels scattered along them.

No. 5 on our most viewed list from 2024 is ID That Tree: Eastern Cottonwood. This video debuted in September of 2021, but was watched 9,368 times in 2024. All told, it has been seen 13,383 times since its launch on YouTube. 

5 - ID That Tree: Eastern Cottonwood -- On this edition of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces you to one of our common bottomland trees, the Eastern Cottonwood. This tree stands out for its triangular or delta shaped leaves, often with prominent teeth along the edges, which extend from long flattened leaf stems. This native tree is named for its early season fruit, which is a little tuft of white hairs that holds a small seed that is produced in large quantities and often blown far from the parent tree.

Number 6 on our most watched list for 2024 is ID That Tree: Honey Locust. This video, which debuted in October 2021, was seen 9,291 times in 2024. In total, it has been watched 13,520 times since first appearing on YouTube.

6 - ID That Tree: Honey Locust -- This native tree comes with its own defense system in very large thorns on the stems and trunk. Meet the honey locust. Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee explains that large, long yellow seed pods that resemble bean pods, the option of single or doubly compound leaves on the same tree and smooth gray bark also help identify this species.

Number 7 on our top YouTube videos list from 2024 is ID That Tree: Black Locust. This video, which debuted in January of 2022, was seen 8,977 times in 2024. In total, it has been viewed 10,474 times in its lifetime. 

7 - ID That Tree: Black Locust -- On this edition of ID That Tree, meet the black locust, which is recognizable by its small, rounded pinnate leaflets; gray bark with rough, long running ridges with orange undertones; and paired thorns where the buds and leaves originate.

Number 8 on our top YouTube videos list for 2024 is ID That Tree: Invasive Tree of Heaven. It was watched 7,708 times in 2024 and has now been seen 9,844 times since its debut in December 2022. 

8 - ID That Tree: Invasive Tree of Heaven -- In this episode of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee identifies the invasive tree of heaven, also known as stinking sumac, due to the foul odor that permeates from nearly all parts of the tree. The alternately held compound leaves have teeth at the base of the leaflets on stout stems, while the bark is a medium gray with white wormy marks. This tree spreads through the seeds of its female trees and from suckers off its root system, and it is also a host tree for the invasive spotted lanternfly.

Number nine on the top FNR Extension YouTube videos of 2024 is ID That Tree: Northern Catalpa. This video was watched 6,792 times. All told, since its debut in August 2021, it has been seen 12, 725 times on YouTube. 

9 - ID That Tree: Northern Catalpa -- On this episode of ID That Tree, meet the Northern Catalpa, native to southern Indiana along the Ohio River bottoms. This species, which provides rot resistant wood great for outdoor usage, features beautiful flower clusters in early summer, huge heart shaped leaves in whirled formation, and long bean-like fruit pods.

Number 10 on the most viewed FNR Extension videos list for 2024 is ID That Tree: American Chestnut. This video was watched 6,570 times in 2024, bringing its lifetime views tally to 7,956. 

10 - ID That Tree: American Chestnut -- In this episode of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces you to the American Chestnut, which has disappeared from much of the Indiana landscape due to a fungal disease. American Chestnut has long, simple leaves with parallel leaf veins extending to the end of the leaf and hooked leaf margins. The husk covering the fruit of the tree also is easily identifiable by its spiny texture, which protects the nuts inside.

FNR Extension debuted 16 videos in 2024, eight from the ID That Tree series and several short videos of tips for monitoring invasives, planting trees and more. The Deer Impact Toolbox also debuted in 2024, including two videos.

The top three extension video debuts from the past year are listed below. Check them out and make sure to see all that Purdue FNR Extension has to offer on YouTube through the playlists from ID That Tree to the Woodland Management Moment to A Moment in the Wild and more. 

Our most viewed 2024 debut was ID That Tree: Winged Elm. This video made its appearance on March 22, 2024, and racked up 1,317 views the rest of the year. 

1 - ID That Tree: Winged Elm -- In this edition of ID That Tree, we're going to introduce you to yet another native Indiana elm found in the far southwest corner of Indiana, and that is winged elm. It's named for its prominent corky ridges that we see extending off the main stems and twigs. It has alternate leaf arrangement, simple leaves, and doubly serrated margins.

The 2024 video debut with the second highest views was ID That Tree: Canada Yew. This video, which debuted on March 28, 2024, was seen 1,205 times last year. 

2 - ID That Tree: Canada Yew -- In this edition of ID That Tree, we're going to introduce you to a very rare Indiana shrub that's a relic of the ice age, and that is the Canada yew. It's only found in Indiana on very steep slopes, rock faces, and cliffs. It's an evergreen, so it is coniferous. It's also very palatable to deer, so deer browse has been very hard on this particular shrub.

Our third most highly viewed 2024 debut video is ID That Tree: Conifer Leaf Types. After debuting in July, the video was watched 911 times. 

3 - ID That Tree: Conifer Leaf Types -- In this edition of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee takes us through the different characteristics of coniferous trees found here in Indiana, particularly their foliage and the features that pertain to them. Come along as we look through real examples of shape, scales, leaf and branches of various local trees. The featured species include Eastern red cedarwood, Northern white cedar, and more.

The Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources also has its own YouTube channel. The top viewed video on that channel in 2024 was a short clip of a grey wolf as seen by a student at Summer Practicum in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It garnered 1,021 views since its debut in May. 

Bonus video - Grey Wolf in the Upper Peninsula -- FNR student Maggie Oliver shot this video of a grey wolf on the move, while at Summer Practicum in Iron River, Michigan. FNR students, many between their sophomore and junior years, participate in an immersive 5-week learning experience in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. At practicum, student learn and practice field techniques and learn more about their respective majors and potential careers.

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